Smash Burger Quesadillas.

 Today we're making Smash Burger Quesadillas.  Because why not?  I saw something similar on a YouTube video, so I'm giving it my own spin.  Prep time was MAYbe 15 minutes.  Cook time MAYbe another 15.  This was fast, easy, and very inexpensive.

 

We're starting with a pack of fresh tortillas, a pound of ground beef, about 1/3 of a large onion, some cheese from several bags that were in the bottom of the fridge (too much to throw away but not enough to use), and freshly chopped chives from my garden. Tonight we're using Blackstone's Street Taco seasoning. 

I've divided the ground beef into five nearly-equal sized portions, because I have ten tortillas in that bag and I don't want to put away just two of them.

Once the Blackstone is at medium heat and oiled up, I dropped the diced onion into approximately equal-sized piles.  Love that sizzle!

I flattened the ground beef on top of the onions.  The onions are going to be crushed into the meat, and they'll steam until soft under there.  I very lightly sprinkled some of the Blackstone Street Taco seasoning.  I could have gone a bit heavier, but I wasn't sure how powerful it was going to be.

I added cheese and a tortilla to each pile of meaty-oniony goodness.

Here's the initial flip.  I'll use a higher heat next time; I wanted a crisper Maillard reaction, and a higher temp would have done that.  I was being cautious, since this is a first try making these.

I went back in the house for more cheese.  I sprinkled a little bit of my chives on there, just for fun. 

After adding the second tortilla, I gave a flip to help melt the cheese on the other side.  I should have added a bit more oil underneath when I turned them.

These turned out great and plated up nicely!

I dipped mine in sour cream. I'll have a little Cholula Sauce next time.

Takeaways from today:

Higher heat next time, and a little longer on the first turn.

Add more oil to the surface when turning to help get a more even color on the tortilla.

Adaptations:

This would work pretty well in cast-iron inside.  I'm thinking of trying it with diced chicken.  I know a lot of people would add fajita veggies in the initial onion drop.  This would pair well with salsa, guacamole, and just about whatever else.