This week I reached out for a Maple Bacon Dijon Burger, one of the new Signature Crafted Recipes sandwiches at America’s No. 1 burger buster, McDonald’s, with 14,000 restaurants like, everywhere.

I’ll translate “Signature Crafted Recipes” into drive-thru language: “a buck more.” Anytime you hear the words “signature” or “crafted,” start digging in your car’s ashtray for those toll-road coins.

Here’s the Maple Bacon Dijon Burger breakdown: a 1/4-pound USDA-inspected beef patty, thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon, grilled onions, pasteurized processed white cheddar cheese, creamy Dijon sauce, lettuce and maple-bacon seasoning on a sesame-seed bun. Whew! That’s a mouthful.

Total calories: 640. Fat grams: 36. Carbs: 40 g. Sodium: 1,260 mg. Dietary fiber: 3 g. Protein: 37 g. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: $4.99 to $5.19. Good luck finding a $4.99 McDonald’s.

The Signature Crafted Recipes sandwiches are really about toppings. There are three sammies here. In addition to Maple Bacon Dijon, you can have: Pico Guacamole, with guac, pico de gallo, leaf lettuce and buttermilk ranch on a sesame-seed bun, with a lime wedge on the side for squirting onto your sandwich or someone in the back seat; and Sweet BBQ Bacon, with applewood-smoked bacon, white cheddar, barbecue sauce and crispy fried onions. All three styles are available with your choice of a 100 percent beef patty, grilled chicken breast or deep-fried breaded chicken breast. So the combinations are endless … or nine, if you’re a math major.

I went with the burger variety because that’s what brung McDonald’s to the dance. The patties are Quarter Pounders (4.25 ounces, precooked weight). The patty is gently seasoned with salt and black pepper, which is how you’re supposed to cook a burger. The scene-stealer here is the maple-bacon seasoning, which is made with maple sugar and dried molasses. It’s a super-sweet kick that will have you dreaming of pancakes for breakfast tomorrow.

Basically, what McDonald’s is doing here is keeping up with the upscale casual-dining joints that are driving the burger business these days. Plus, McDonald’s is seeing just how big a price its loyal customers are willing to swallow.

The bottom line: Are these Signature Crafted Recipes sandwiches worth the uptick in price, or are they just gussied-up Quarter Pounders? We will know in about three months, when they become permanent menu items or go gonzo, like yesteryear’s McLean Deluxe, McPizza, et al. losers.

Have some pity on me, I ate all those et al. losers.