Copy Cat Magic Mountain

Have you ever eaten at Ross Restaurant under the Hwy. 74 bridge in Bettendorf?  They serve this wonderful dish they call a Magic Mountain. 

It starts with grilled Texas toast on the bottom and is topped with ground beef, piled high with French fries or hash browns (I like the hash browns) and smothered with cheese sauce.

Beef

1 pound 85% lean ground beef

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Pinch of Kosher salt and pepper

Brown your beef and add salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. 

Cheese Sauce

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black or white pepper

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup grated sharp Cheddar or smoky flavor Cheddar cheese

Melt butter; remove from heat. Stir in flour and seasonings. Gradually add milk, stirring until well mixed. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Cook for 5 minutes longer; add cheese. Stir until smooth and well blended. Makes 2 cups.

Toast

Toast your Texas toast in your toaster until brown and crispy.

Hash Brown or Fries

Oven fry frozen French Fries while making cheese sauce and meat if you are using fries.  If you are using hash brown, put oil in a large skillet and heat up on medium.  When hot put a mound of frozen hash browns in the middle of the pan.  Sprinkle them with Lawry salt.  Do not touch until they are really crispy on the edges.  Test by lifting with a spatula a little and if nice and brown in the middle lip them.  Let them brown equally on both sides. 

You can be lazy and use those frozen small hash browns you toast in the toaster. 

Assembly

Place your toast on the bottom and pile it high with your warm hamburger.  Pile the meat with fries or hash brown and pour the cheese sauce over the top.  You can add onion on top if you like. 

Variation – You can put onion on a Magic Mountain.  If I added onion, I would make them caramelized onions.  It will take longer so start caramelizing your onions first while you are doing all the other preparations.  This will take it over the top. 

Try adding some heat to the cheese by using pepper cheese or add a little hot sauce.

You can add onions to the beef if you like or add a little heat to the meat.  Try putting chili on top.  Make it your own with your own likes and flavors.

Save the gas to Bettendorf and make your own Magic Mountain.  Be happy and may God bless you and yours.