Baby Burgers with Angry Onions

• Recipe by David Burke

Chef Way Burke deep-fries his "angry" (spicy) onions at David Burke's Primehouse. At David Burke at Bloomingdale's, in New York City, he serves adorable mini burgers on homemade rolls with truffle fries and Asiago cheese.
Easy Way Burke bakes the angry onions instead of frying them, then serves them with little hamburgers on small store-bought dinner rolls or biscuits.

Ingredients

1. Vegetable oil
2. 1 small onion, thinly sliced
3. 1 teaspoon Cajun spice mix
4. 6 slices of bacon
5. 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
6. Salt and freshly ground pepper
7. 12 small dinner rolls or biscuits, split horizontally
8. 1 large half-sour or dill pickle, thinly sliced
9. 2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
10. Twelve 2-inch-square slices of cheddar cheese (about 3 ounces)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Oil a parchment paper�lined baking sheet. Arrange the onion slices on the parchment paper in a single layer and sprinkle all over with the Cajun spice mix. Bake the onion slices for about 30 minutes, until they are slightly dry and browned in spots.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, cook the bacon slices over moderate heat until crisp, about 6 minutes. Drain on paper towels and cut into 2-inch pieces.
3. Season the ground beef with salt and pepper and form it into 12 small hamburger patties. Arrange the dinner rolls on a large baking sheet. Place a pickle slice on the bottom half of each roll, then top with a tomato slice.
4. Preheat a grill pan or griddle. Brush the patties with oil and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned, about 3 minutes. Set the burgers on the dinner rolls. Top with the cheese, a few onion rings and the bacon. Cover with the buns and bake for 5 minutes for medium-rare meat. Serve right away.