Looking to emulate the success of Chicken McNuggets and fried mozzarella sticks, the group is hoping to inject some red meat into the American snack food diet with cheeseburger fries. The fries, which look like a squat version of standard French fries, are made of a meat-and-cheese compound that tastes — as the name suggests — like a cheeseburger.

Breaded, then deep-fried and served with ketchup or barbecue sauce, cheeseburger fries have found their way onto menus in several states including Nebraska, Minnesota and Texas since June. There is also a version being made available to public school cafeterias.

"The challenge is getting people to think of other ways to eat beef," said Betty Hogan, director of new product development for the association.

And for good reason. Most cheeses, when subjected to heat of any sort, melt into a puddle of goo or dissipate into an unintended frico of sorts. But when certain carefully chosen cheeses are thickly sliced and tossed on the grill or seared in a skillet, a different type of transformation takes place.

Though the cheese keeps it shape, its outward appearance either takes on grill marks or turns a crisp golden brown in a skillet. Inwardly it softens significantly but does not melt.