I mentioned the other day that Sargento was having a little fun with the classic American Cheeseburger.  They have enlisted five burger joints across the US to create and compete in the Sargento Ultimate Cheeseburger contest.  San Diego’s very own Crazee Burger was chosen and they created a fabulous looking “Crazee Cheeseburger” made out of bison and marinated in beer!

Did you know?

• Nine in ten (92 percent) burger-eaters like cheese on their patties.
• 82% of Americans agree that cheese makes a burger taste better.
• More than three in four Americans can’t imagine eating a burger without cheese!
• Forty-four percent of Americans list Cheddar as their favorite natural cheese for burgers.
• More than half of burger-lovers would forgo French fries to top their burger with cheese.
• Across the board, “simple and classic” is the preferred burger style among Americans in the Midwest (41%), Northeast (40%) West (30%) and South (29%).
• Close to half (46 percent) of those living outside of the Northeast like topping their cheeseburgers with Cheddar, compared to 31 percent of Northeasterners.

I was sent on a mission to find Crazee Burger and check out their competition worthy burger.

Crazee Burger has two locations in San Diego and while I tried to visit their Old Town store, my family ended up in North Park.  I don’t get into the “city” often and North Park is far from the hick-town that I’m used to!  The area looked a little “hard” and the congregation of homeless people across the street had me nervous.  Never to shy away from a challenge, I parked on the street and made my way in!

The blond-haired, tattooed waitress was the nicest thing ever.   She showed us into the quaint diner and helped me make our order.  I was disappointed to not find the “Crazee Cheeseburger” listed on the menu anywhere, but didn’t shed a tear too much since I wasn’t real keen on eating a bison burger (I know…but, I’m weirded out by “strange” food).   Instead, I was thrilled to find an organic and grass-fed burger listed and happily ordered that topped with bacon.

SO NOT Paleo….But oh WOW delicious!

The burgers came out on soft, yet firm torta style rolls and they were topped with fresh leafy lettuce (not ice burg), huge tomatoes and delicious pickles.  They were SO GOOD!  I loved that Crazee Burger lets you order your own toppings a la cart (bacon, avocado, grilled onions, etc etc) so you can create your own Ultimate Cheeseburger.

My favorite part was the Sweet Potato Fries.

I told myself when I went out for a burger that I would eat it Paleo-Style (sans bun) but the bread on these burgers looked too good not to eat, you must forgive my moment of weakness!

Along with getting to check out Crazee Burger, I was asked to create my own Ultimate Cheeseburger using Sargento natural cheeses.  I tend to stick with classic and easy when cooking and while my cheeseburger may not be as fancy as those in the contest, it was quite delicious.

Here is my recipe for Bacon Swiss Cheeseburger – Paleo Style.

• 10 oz organic, grass-fed ground beef formed into a patty
• salt, pepper and finely chopped onion to taste

I cooked my patty on my George Foreman Grill for 10 minutes because I like them well done.  You can easily grill this!

• 2 slices organic, nitrate-free bacon

Fry your bacon crisp in a small pan while your burger cooks.  When done, remove your bacon and set on a paper-towel lined plate to cool.

• Add 1 TBS pasture butter to your hot bacon grease.
• Add as many mushrooms as you like ( I used about 4 large mushrooms, sliced) and saute in the bacon/butter until cooked through.

Assemble your burger, by topping with Sargento Natural Baby Swiss Cheese (leave the cheese off if you are sensitive to dairy), bacon and mushrooms.  EAT.

There is still time to vote for your favorite American Cheeseburger on the Sargento Facebook Page.

How do you like your cheeseburgers?

Disclosure: I received products and compensation from Sargento Foods Inc. and The Motherhood as part of my participation in this campaign. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.