Cheesy Walnut Burgers

Ice in the water troughs every morning. Break it, refill, repeat. Three days of farrier work. Two ranches in the county. Eleven horses. The body is tired in the right way.

Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods. Tuesday meeting in Roundup. Eight regulars. Three vets. I do not lead. I show up.

Shepherd's pie. Ground beef from the boxes. Mashed potatoes on top. Brown crust.

The week held. The work continues.

The barn cats are doing their job. Down to one mouse this week, in the feed shed. The cats brought it to the porch as proof. They are professionals.

Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.

Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.

Wrote a blog post Friday night. The first one in two months. About making chili in a snowstorm. Short. Practical. Posted it. Forgot about it.

Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.

Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.

Truck started cold Tuesday. Twelve below. Battery is the original. I will replace it before next winter. I always say I will replace it before next winter. I never have.

Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.

Listened to the cattle market report on AM radio while I worked the shop. Beef is up. Feed is up. The math is the math.

Mr. Whelan from down the road came over Saturday with a story about a horse he sold in 1979. The story took an hour. I listened. He needed someone to tell it to.

A reader emailed about the elk chili recipe. Asked what beer to use if non-alcoholic was not available. I wrote back: any beer is wrong if you don't drink. Use stock.

The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.

The wood pile is half what it was at Thanksgiving. I will split another cord on Saturday. The cord will be ready by next winter. The wood always is.

Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.

Storm came through Friday night. Thunder. The dog hid under the bed. The kids slept through it. The cattle bunched up by the windbreak. Standard.

The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.

Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.

A neighbor's heifer was choking on a corn cob. I drove over with my emergency kit. Cleared the cob with a length of garden hose. The heifer recovered. The neighbor brought a pie the next day.

Took a walk to the river before supper Tuesday. The cottonwoods were silver. The water was running. I did not think much. I just walked.

The shepherd’s pie was what I made mid-week — fast, from the freezer boxes, no ceremony. But Saturday, after the truck work and the shower and standing at the cemetery, I wanted something I had to actually build with my hands. These Cheesy Walnut Burgers have been in my back pocket since a reader sent the idea last fall. The walnuts add something the plain beef patty doesn’t have — a little texture, a little weight. The cheese melts into the crust the same way the week finally settled. Worth the skillet.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef (80/20)
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus 4 slices for topping
1 large egg
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 burger buns, toasted
Lettuce, tomato, and onion for serving

Instructions

Mix the patties. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, chopped walnuts, shredded cheddar, egg, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix until just combined — do not overwork the meat.
Form and rest. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and form into patties about 3/4-inch thick. Press a slight indent in the center of each with your thumb. Let rest at room temperature for 5 minutes.
Heat the skillet. Heat a cast iron skillet or heavy pan over medium-high heat. No oil needed if using 80/20 beef. When the pan is hot, add the patties.
Cook the burgers. Cook 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium doneness, or until internal temperature reaches 160°F. Avoid pressing down on the patties.
Melt the cheese. In the last 60 seconds of cooking, lay a slice of cheddar on each patty. Cover the pan loosely with a lid or foil to melt the cheese.
Rest and serve. Remove patties from heat and let rest 2 minutes. Serve on toasted buns with lettuce, tomato, and onion.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cheesy Walnut Burgers — Built for a Week That Asked a Lot