Smashburger Quesadillas: Crispy Pan-Seared Beef for 4 Servings

Instructions:

1. Divide the beef. Form the 1 lb of ground beef into four equal 4 ounce balls. Note: Handle them gently so the meat stays airy; tight balls will be harder to smash thin.
2. Whisk the sauce. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish, and smoked paprika. Stir until the color is uniform and the relish is well distributed.
3. Heat the pan. Set your cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Wait about 3 to 5 minutes until you see light wisps of smoke rising from the surface.
4. The initial smash. Place one beef ball in the center of the dry pan. Immediately place a tortilla on top. Press down firmly with your metal spatula until the meat is smashed into a paper thin layer that covers most of the tortilla's footprint.
5. Develop the crust. Cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. You'll know it's ready when the edges of the beef sticking out from the tortilla are deep brown and starting to look crispy.
6. The flip. Slide your spatula under the beef (it should release easily if the crust has formed) and flip the entire thing over. The tortilla is now on the bottom, and the cooked beef is facing up.
7. Layer the fillings. Quickly sprinkle 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar over the hot beef, then add a handful of the thinly sliced onions and 3 pickle chips. Note: The heat from the beef will start melting the cheese from the bottom up.
8. Fold and toast. Using your spatula, fold the tortilla in half over the fillings to create a semi circle. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side until the tortilla is golden, crackling, and the cheese is oozing out.
9. Repeat and serve. Move the finished quesadilla to a cutting board. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients.
10. Slice and dip. Cut each quesadilla into three wedges and serve hot with a generous side of the Big Smash sauce. It's important to keep the pan dry for the first step. You don't need oil because the 80/20 beef has plenty of fat that will render out almost instantly. If you add oil, the meat might slide around instead of gripping the pan, which prevents that beautiful crust from forming. If you find the meat is sticking too much to your spatula during the smash, you can place a small piece of parchment paper between the spatula and the tortilla, though the tortilla usually provides enough of a barrier. Watching the cheese melt into the nooks and crannies of the smashed beef is one of the most satisfying parts of this ground beef quesadilla recipe. You want to see those little cheese skirts forming where the cheddar hits the pan. Those crispy bits of fried cheese are pure flavor gold.