Uncommon Ground
Expand your burger repertoire with a few fancy flavors
Nice weather and the reader recipes in this issue recharged my own griller's instinct, so I decided to throw a few of my favorite burgers onto the flames.I'll always love the archetypal beef burger, but nowadays I'm just as likely to grill lamb, pork, or turkey. Lamb's pleasantly gamy flavor makes an excellent burger, especially when spiked with Greek flavors. Turkey can cook up dull and dry, but adding the ingredients from a classic steak tartare gives it much-needed moisture and personality. The pork Cubano burgers echo pressed Cubano sandwiches -- roast pork, ham, cheese, mustard, and pickles. No matter the meat, I serve burgers on crisp toasted English muffins rather than huge, soft buns. The muffins offer both flavor and texture, without overwhelming the burgers with bread. A last word of advice -- resist the urge to press down on the patties with your spatula as they cook. That squeezes out the juices, increasing your risk of a dry burger.
Grilled Lamb Burgers with Feta and Greek Flavors
Serves 6
Thick slices of ripe tomato go beautifully with these burgers. I think lamb is best served medium-rare, but if you prefer medium, give them an extra minute or two on the grill.
2¼ pounds ground lamb
5tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano
5 tablespoons dried mint
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
¾ cup crumbled feta (about 2 ounces)
Toasted English muffins, for serving
Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill on high. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, break up the ground lamb into rough chunks. Add the oregano, mint, lemon zest, garlic, 1½ teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper, and toss lightly with your hands to thoroughly distribute the seasonings. Divide the mixture into 6 6-ounce portions and, with a light hand, gently form the portions into patties roughly 4 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. Press a divot (see Kitchen Aide) into the top of each patty. If using a gas grill, adjust the burners to medium-high.
Grill the burgers without moving them until grill-marked on the bottom, about 4½ minutes. Flip the burgers, top each one with about 2 tablespoons of the crumbled feta, and continue grilling until the feta begins to soften and the meat is medium-rare (the centers of the burgers should register between 140 and 145 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), about 5½ minutes longer. Serve immediately with toasted English muffins.
Steak Tartare-Flavored Grilled Turkey Burgers
Serves 6
Steak tartare is a French bistro classic -- pristinely fresh, top quality, finely chopped raw beef seasoned with capers, shallots, parsley, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce, and enriched with egg yolk. The same ingredients give turkey burgers an elegant character.
2¼ pounds ground turkey, no more than 93 percent lean
2 large egg yolks
¼ cup capers, chopped
3 medium shallots, finely chopped
½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
Salt and pepper
Toasted English muffins, for serving
Prepare a medium-low fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill on high. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, break up the ground turkey into rough chunks. Add the egg yolks, capers, shallots, parsley, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper, and toss lightly with your hands to distribute the seasonings (the mixture will be very moist and sticky). Divide the mixture into 6 6-ounce portions and, with a light hand, gently form the portions into patties roughly 4 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. Press a divot (see Kitchen Aide) into the top of each patty. If using a gas grill, adjust the burners to medium-low.
Grill the burgers without moving them until grill-marked on the bottom, about 8 minutes. Flip the burgers and continue grilling until the meat is cooked through (the centers of the burgers should register 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), about 7 minutes longer. Serve immediately with toasted English muffins.
Grilled Cubano Burgers
Serves 6
1¼ pounds ground pork
½ pound deli ham, cut into ¼-inch cubes
1 1/3 cups coarsely grated Swiss cheese (about ¼ pound)
½ cup finely chopped dill pickles
¼ cup yellow mustard
Salt and pepper
Toasted English muffins, for serving
Prepare a medium fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill on high. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, break up the ground pork into rough chunks. Add the ham, cheese, pickles, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper, and toss lightly with your hands to thoroughly distribute the seasonings. Divide the mixture into 6 6-ounce portions and, with a light hand, gently form the portions into patties roughly 4 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. Press a divot (see Kitchen Aide) into the top of each patty. If using a gas grill, adjust the burners to medium.
Grill the burgers without moving them until grill-marked on the bottom, about 6 minutes. Flip the burgers and continue grilling until the meat is cooked through (the centers of the burgers should register about 145 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), about 4 minutes longer. Serve immediately with toasted English muffins.
Send comments or suggestions to Adam Ried at cooking@globe.com. 