Bacon Cheeseburger Potstickers. Oh my!

I searched high and low for this recipe and finally decided to just combine all of them and make it my way. These potstickers are OUT OF CONTROL good but they are also time consuming. The prep work takes a while, but the cook time is very quick. I suggest making them all up well ahead of when you'd like to serve them and refrigerate.

You'll need wonton wrappers, block cheddar cheese (note: do not use shredded cheese, it will give you nothing but a hot mess), onion, A1 Sauce (or your favorite steak sauce/ marinade), ground beef, bacon and ketchup.


Filling:
- 1.5 lb. ground beef + 2 tbsp A1 Sauce + 2 tbsp ketchup + 1/2-3/4 cup diced onion + generous salt. Mix all in a bowl.
- 4 strips of bacon. Chop and sautee ’til crisp, let cool, and throw into the rest of the filling.
- Cheddar cheese cut into chunks (1/4″ x 1″) to fit into the wrapped dumpling.

Constructing:
- Scoop filling (including cheese chunk) with a small spoon, place on center of dumpling wrap.
- Dip finger into a bowl of water, run finger across top half of wrap in an arc motion. Bring bottom half to seal dumpling.
- Wet fingers again and pleat the dumpling, 4 times is usually enough. Make sure your dumpling is SHUT as best as you can.
- When you set this down put a little pressure on it so it has a fat bottom. Repeat until you are out of filling.

Frying:
- This will take a few batches. Put a thin coating of oil (canola works, I used leftover fat from the bacon) as the pan is heating to a medium-high.
- When oil is hot, set potstickers in pan standing up. Do not touch for 3-4 minutes until bottoms are golden brown.
- When browned on bottom, pour a little bit of water (like 1/4-1/2 cup). The pan will sizzle, cover pan with a lid right away and do not lift. This will steam the dumplings and cook the inside filling all the way. Do not lift or your dumplings will die. Turn down heat to medium-low.
- After 4-5 minutes, uncover and turn off heat. I like to let it sit a little while longer so the water evaporates completely.
- Flip your pan onto a plate and you will see the golden brown bottoms of your potstickers.

This is what gives it its name and one of the most satisfying parts of eating one. The best part about this particular Western twist is that the cheese inside melts and hardens onto the dumpling skin mimicking the crunchy bottom of the potsticker. The beef should be savory from the A1 and the bacon just puts it over the top.

Make these for your friends and family and you will be loved.