Cocktail versions of a classic: Enjoy Minneapolis’ Juicy Lucy burger in petite form at your next potluck

Every city has a dish that draws foodies in from all around: Chicago has deep-dish pizza, Philly has cheese steak, and Buffalo has wings, to name a few. Minneapolis can proudly claim one of the greatest American creations, the Juicy Lucy burger.

According to an article in Food & Wine, Matt’s Bar in Minneapolis created this delicacy nearly 70 years ago. The dish came about like any other great invention, sort of by accident. Legend has it that a customer at the bar was being a little difficult and asked for cheese between the two patties on their burger. The kitchen interpreted it as cheese stuffed inside the burger. When the patron bit into the burger, they yelled, “That’s one juicy Lucy!,” coining the name for the now famous creation. Aside from that, you might see the dish spelled two different ways, one where the “i” is in the word juicy and one where it is not. This is simply due to a printing error when the restaurant decided to make this burger permanent. They decided to keep the spelling error permanent as well.

In deciding to create a recipe inspired by the Juicy Lucy, I found that this burger type is quite controversial. Burger enthusiasts live in two camps: purists and adventurers. The purists want your burger to be served as it is “supposed”: simply bun, meat, cheese, ketchup, pickle and sometimes mustard. This more basic version can be equally delicious if done right. The burger adventurers seek out those wild versions, topped with anything and everything, again equally as tasty. I fall somewhere in the middle. I’m not scared to try an epic creation, but I have found that the best burgers I have eaten all fall in that “basic” category. With that, the purists seem to shy away from enjoying the Juicy Lucy variety. That camp preaches that cheese should be draped over the top of the meat, which is a valid argument. No matter what camp you live in, I encourage you to have an open mind and try the cheese-stuffed explosion.

Now, where do cocktail meatballs fit into all of this? Cocktail meatballs are typically on the menu when thinking about entertaining or contributing to a potluck. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I also don’t really enjoy the traditional cocktail meatballs lacquered in grape jelly and what sometimes tastes like barbecue sauce. So, I set out to make a version of this party favorite that excited me a little more. That is how my petite iteration of the Juicy Lucy was born.

• Grace Goudie can be found making composed but not complicated recipes on her website gracegoudie.com or @chefgracegoudie on Instagram and TikTok. Dine on Chef Grace’s dishes at Scratchboard Kitchen in Arlington Heights.

Juicy Lucy Cocktail Meatballs

For the meatballs

2 pounds ground beef

1 shallot, minced

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

2 eggs

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper, ground

1 pound Cheddar (or American) cheese, cubed

For the meatball glaze

1 cup ketchup

1 cup brown sugar

For the mustard dipping sauce

¼ cup mustard

¼ cup mayonnaise

Garnishes:

20 pieces of cornichon

20 pieces of iceberg lettuce

20 pieces of cherry tomato

20 pieces of onion

20 wooden skewers

To make the meatballs

Whisk together the eggs, shallot, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.

Using your hands or a stand mixer, mix the ground beef and egg mixture together. Work the mixture with your hands.

(Pro tip: Working the meat activates a protein called myosin, which helps the meat adhere to itself while cooking. The egg also helps with this.)

Roll 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture into a ball. Take the meat and flatten it in your palm, place the cheese cube in the center and form the meatball around the cheese, roll again. Make sure to fully cover the cheese or it’ll ooze out while cooking.

For the glaze

Whisk together the brown sugar and ketchup until smooth.

Brush the raw meatballs in the glaze using a pastry brush.

Cook the meatball at 425 degrees for 20 minutes total. After 10 minutes, reglaze the meatballs.

For the dipping sauce

Mix the mustard and mayonnaise together.

To assemble the meatballs

Cut the cherry tomato into ¼ inch thick rings.

Cut the iceberg lettuce into thick strips.

Julienne the red onion (this method is cutting the onion in thin strips following the natural line of the onion), then cut these in half vertically.

Cut the cornichons in half.

Skewer the garnishes as a stack on top of the meatball.

Makes 20, 2-ounce meatballs

— Grace Goudie