Chimichurri cheeseburger

Chimichurri is Argentinian in origin and is similar to pesto, but most often used as a marinade or a sauce for grilled steak. The common ingredients are parsley, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, while variants may include ingredients such as oregano, cumin, red peeper flakes, etc. But it's the garlic that is pretty much a quintessential complement to grilled beef - even hamburger.

Thicker hamburgers (1/2 lb) can be a challenge to cook properly - it's not difficult to char the outside yet and have a raw interior, yet cooking it thoroughly risks a result resembling a hockey puck. And if you want a cheeseburger, you have to add the cheese near the end, and more often than not, you lose some of it down the sides where it burns/drips and is generally wasted.

My solution to guaranteeing a tasty cheeseburger - putting the cheese *inside* the burger.

I like my burgers on the fluffy side - when you form your patties, you should *not* compact them - kinda like with rice when you are making nigiri - it should just barely clump together. But to make a stuffed cheeseburger, you'll have to find a balance between a loose clump and a firm enough pressure so as to keep the "stuffing" from leaking out.

You can probably go as small as a 1/4 pounder, but a 1/3 lb per patty is about the smallest I like when I stuff a burger. Take the meat and form it into a bowl shape. Place a piece of cheese (preferably sharp cheddar, but whatever you have will do).

Here's where the chimichurri comes in. I then add 1/2 tsp of minced parsley, minced garlic to taste, a dash of oregano and a couple of drops of balsamic vinegar, then top with another piece of cheese. Then fold over the "rim" of the bowl, enclosing ingredients inside. Grill/cook as usual.

Because the center is somewhat hollow, it cooks more quickly, and with the cheese in the middle, it's guaranteed to be moist on the inside, nice and garlicky.

1/3 lb. ground beef
parsley (if you don't have it, try cilantro)
garlic (can't skip this though)
balsamic vinegar (any vinegar or even lemon juice will probably work)
oregano (optional)
cumin (optional)
red pepper (optional)
cheese (preferably cheddar)