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    Home » Recipes » Father's Day

    March Madness Mini Cheeseburger Recipe

    Published: Mar 18, '22 · Modified: Feb 4, '23 · By: Beth · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Celebrate March Madness with this March Madness Mini Cheeseburger Recipe! These savory snacks are a great appetizer for any party and are a great way to get the ball rolling on your celebration.

    cheeseburger topped with a slice of cheddar cheese decorated to look like a basketball

    Your guests are hanging out on your couch with a plate full of food precariously perched on their laps but their eyes aren't on their plates, they are watching the final four games intently.

    Would you rather have them eating party food they can just pop in their mouth or have them dribbling food all over your floor as they try to use a knife and fork?  I thought so.  That's why I created these fun little bite-sized cheeseburgers you can serve during the big game.

    I'm going to bet that once your guests taste them, they will divert their attention, for at least a moment, to the savory goodness of this little appetizer.

    Topped with a slice of cheese decorated to look like a basketball, these will be so much fun to serve during the final four games, or any basketball game, for that matter.  Of course, you don't have to decorate the cheese.

    These would make great snacks any time of the year. As a matter of fact, I just had a few for lunch.

    French Fried Potato Round Topped with a Mini Cheeseburger

    Makes 22

    Ingredients:

    Basketball Cheese Slices:
    cheddar or American cheese
    black food coloring

    Fried Potato Rounds:

    russet (Idaho) potatoes
    vegetable oil
    salt

    Mini Hamburgers:

    white bread, crusts removed
    milk
    ketchup (or steak sauce)
    salt and pepper
    ground chuck or ground beef
    vegetable oil

    Optional toppings:

    lettuce
    tomato slices

    Oxo Good Grips Mandoline Slicer

    Special equipment needed:

    thin tip paint brush (used for food only)
    Mandoline Slicer or a knife
    2" round cookie cutter, and a 1" or 1 ½" round cutter
    heavy-duty baking sheet
    non-stick aluminum foil
    griddle, skillet, or grill pan

    Instructions:

    Make Cheese Basketballs

    • Cut 1-inch or 1 ½-inch circles out of your cheese slices. The larger circles will completely cover your burgers.
    • Dip a fine-tip paintbrush into a bowl filled with a few drops of black food coloring.
    • Paint the black food coloring onto the cheese to look like basketballs.

    Slice Potatoes

    • Cut russet potatoes into ⅜" thick slices using a Mandolin or a knife.
    • Use a 2" round cookie cutter, to cut rounds from each potato slice.
    • Fill a mixing bowl with hot tap water.
    • Place potato rounds in water and set aside for 10 minutes.
    • Remove potato rounds from the water and set them on paper towels.
    • Blot dry.

    Bake Potatoes

    • Dry out your mixing bowl.
    • Combine the vegetable oil and ½ teaspoon salt in the mixing bowl.
    • Line a heavy-duty baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil. (You can also use a heavy-duty non-stick pan - my non-stick pans are too thin and they warp at high temperatures.)
    • Pour 3 tablespoons of the oil onto the foil-lined pan.
    • Use your hand to swirl the oil around to get an even coating all over the pan.
    • Be sure the get the salt evenly distributed.
    • Place potatoes in a mixing bowl and toss to coat evenly with the remaining tablespoon of oil.
    • Lay potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet.
    • Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the potatoes.
    • Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
    • Bake for 10 minutes.
    • Remove foil and bake for 8 minutes.
    • Rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue to bake for 8 minutes.
    • Remove pan and flip potatoes over.
    • Bake for 8-14 more minutes until golden brown.
    • Remove from oven and place potato rounds on paper towels to remove excess oil.

    While potatoes are baking, make burgers:

    Make Burgers

    • Tear a slice of white bread into small pieces.
    • Place in a mixing bowl.
    • Pour in milk.
    • Use a fork to smash the bread into a paste.
    • Add ketchup, ½ teaspoon salt, and a pinch of black pepper.
    • Stir to combine.
    • Add ground chuck and stir just until combined.

    • Scoop out 22 portions of meat by the tablespoon. (I used a 1 tablespoon - 18/8 ice cream scoop.)
    • Press meat into a 2" round cookie cutter to form into a nice circle.
    • Heat one teaspoon of vegetable oil on a griddle pan, skillet, or grill pan until smoking.
    • Cook burgers in two batches until well browned on both sides.
    • If serving these right away, set a piece of cheese on each burger after you flip it to cook the second side and allow the cheese to melt slightly.

    If you plan to prepare the burgers and potatoes hours before your party, you can reheat them just before serving. Heat your oven to 350 degrees.  Place potatoes and burgers on a baking sheet and heat for 5 minutes.

    Remove from oven and top burgers with a slice of cheese.  Heat just until the cheese melts and the burger is heated through.

    To assemble: set potato rounds on a serving platter and top with lettuce and tomato, if using. Then top with a cheeseburger. Serve immediately.

    The burgers will remain moist because of the addition of the panade (bread and milk) even after being refrigerated overnight and cooked the next day.

    I love the use of the potato round as a "bun", but you can use a bun if you prefer. You can, of course, also make regular-sized hamburgers using this recipe.  Just cut the cheese slices a bit smaller than your uncooked burgers.

    Serve the big burgers on a bun with any toppings you like. Any way you make these burgers, your party guests will surely enjoy munching on them while they cheer for their favorite team.

    Printable Recipe

    This recipe was originally published on March 25, 2011.

    basketball cheese burger sliders
    Print
    Mini Cheeseburger Sliders with Basketball Cheese
    Prep Time
    45 mins
    Cook Time
    40 mins
     

    Serve delicious cheeseburgers on a fried potato round then top each slider with a cheddar cheese basketball. These snacks are perfect for your March Madness party.

    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: baby cheesecake, cheeseburger dip, hamburger
    Servings: 22
    Calories: 78 kcal
    Author: Beth
    Ingredients
    Basketball Cheese Slices:
    • 6 slices cheddar or American cheese
    • black food coloring
    Fried Potato Rounds:
    • 3 russet Idaho potatoes
    • ¼ cup vegetable oil
    • ½ teaspoon table salt plus a pinch
    Mini Hamburgers:
    • 1 slice of white bread crusts removed
    • 1 ½ tablespoons milk
    • 1 tablespoon ketchup or steak sauce
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • pinch of black pepper
    • 1 pound ground chuck
    • 1-2 teaspoons vegetable oil
    Optional toppings:
    • lettuce
    • 22 tomato slices
    Instructions
    Make Cheese Basketballs
    1. Use either a 1 ½" or 1" round cookie cutter to cut 22 rounds from the cheese slices.

    2. Pour a few drops of black food coloring into a small bowl.

    3. Dip a fine-tip paintbrush into the food coloring.

    4. Paint seam lines onto each cheese slice creating basketballs.

    Potato Rounds
    1. Move an oven rack to the lowest position.

    2. Preheat oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit.

    3. Wash potatoes.

    4. Cut, using a Mandolin or a knife, into ⅜" thick slices.

    5. Use a 2" round cookie cutter, to cut rounds from each potato slice.

    6. Fill a mixing bowl with hot tap water.

    7. Place potato rounds in water and set aside for 10 minutes.

    8. Remove potato rounds from the water and set them on paper towels.

    9. Blot dry.

    10. Dry out your mixing bowl.

    11. Combine the vegetable oil and ½ teaspoon salt in the mixing bowl.

    12. Line a heavy-duty baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil. (You can also use a heavy-duty non-stick pan - my non-stick pans are too thin and they warp at high temperatures.)

    13. Pour 3 tablespoons of the oil onto the foil-lined pan.

    14. Use your hand to swirl the oil around to get an even coating all over the pan.

    15. Be sure the get the salt evenly distributed.

    16. Place potatoes in the mixing bowl and toss to coat evenly with the remaining tablespoon of oil.

    17. Lay potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet.

    18. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the potatoes.

    19. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

    20. Bake for 10 minutes.

    21. Remove foil and bake for 8 minutes.

    22. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue to bake for 8 minutes.

    23. Remove the pan and flip the potatoes over.

    24. Bake for 8-14 more minutes until golden brown.

    25. Remove from oven and place potato rounds on paper towels to remove excess oil.

    26. While potatoes are baking, make burgers:

    Make Burgers
    1. Tear a slice of white bread into small pieces.

    2. Place in a mixing bowl.

    3. Pour in milk.

    4. Use a fork to smash the bread into a paste.

    5. Add ketchup, ½ teaspoon salt, and a pinch of black pepper.

    6. Stir to combine.

    7. Add ground chuck and stir just until combined.

    8. Scoop out 22 portions of meat by the tablespoonful. (I used a 1 tablespoon - 18/8 ice cream scoop.)

    9. Press meat into a 2" round cookie cutter to form into a nice circle.

    10. Heat one teaspoon of vegetable oil on a griddle pan, skillet, or grill pan until smoking.

    11. Cook burgers in two batches until well browned on both sides.

    12. If serving these right away, set a piece of cheese on each burger after you flip it to cook the second side and allow the cheese to melt slightly.

    13. If you plan to prepare the burgers and potatoes hours before your party, you can reheat them just before serving. Heat your oven to 350 degrees.  Place potatoes and burgers on a baking sheet and heat for 5 minutes.

    14. Remove from oven and top burgers with a slice of cheese.  Heat just until the cheese melts and the burger is heated through.

    15. To assemble: set potato rounds on a serving platter and top with lettuce and tomato, if using. Then top with a cheeseburger. Serve immediately.

    More March Madness Recipe Ideas

    bowl of bean and cheese dip decorated to look like a basketball is served with basketball tortilla chips

    Been Dip Basketball with Basketball Tortilla Chips

    Basketball pinata cookies filled with Skittles are decorated with orange candy melts.

    Candy Filled Basketball Cookies

    2 ingredient Biscoff Butterscotch Fudge Basketballs are quick and easy to make and are perfect for a March Madness party.

    Biscoff Butterscotch Basketballs

    SaveSave

    • Author
    • Recent Posts
    Beth
    Beth
    Hi, I'm Beth Jackson Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com
    Beth
    Latest posts by Beth (see all)
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    More Father's Day Recipes

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    About Beth

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    1. Beth Jackson Klosterboer

      March 26, 2011 at 12:00 pm

      Thanks Laurel. I submitted my recipe to your site. Looks like you have a lot of great ideas for crafters and cooks.

      Reply
    2. Laurel {Make and Takes}

      March 26, 2011 at 2:25 am

      Ha! This is so fun! I'd love for you to submit this to the M&T Spotlight at makeandtakes.com/spotlight

      Reply

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    Beth Jackson Klosterboer

    Welcome to Hungry Happenings!

    I'm Beth. I've been a professional chocolatier & baker for over 30 years, have written 5 cookbooks, and love creating fun food for holidays and special occasions.

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