All American Meal

We can find just about every single type of of food we can think of here, but American food is just not the same as I had living there, but I also know that I have never had German food as good as I've had here. Tonight I wanted a little taste of back home. I was craving a nice, juicy burger and some onion rings... so, that's what I made! Sometimes I get these cravings that I have to satisfy because, otherwise, nothing will be good enough. These burgers came out full of flavor, juicy, and so very satisfying. I was so pleased and my husband raved about them. These are also a great way to use up any herbs you have in the fridge that you want to use up.

Herbed Burgers with Chipotle Mayonnaise
Serves 4

1 small red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
1lb ground beef (don't use lean beef, fat is the key to keep burgers from falling apart)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese
4 hamburger buns, toasted

for the chipotle mayonnaise
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely minced
1 tablespoon adobo sauce

Gather all of the ingredients together and put the ground beef into a large bowl. Set aside

Chop the garlic and onion. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Put 1 teaspoon of olive oil into the skillet and sautee the garlic and onions until the onion becomes translucent - about 5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop all of the herbs.

Once the onion and garlic are finished, add them to the bowl with the ground beef. Add the herbs, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and plenty of salt and pepper.

With clean hands, mix everything together and form into 4 equal sized hamburger patties. Remember when you form patties for hamburgers to always put a thumb-sized dent into the center of the patties. This way, when they cook the centers will swell as normal, but the patties will not split apart. Plus, the meat will cook evenly through.

Place an iron skillet over medim-high heat and salt the bottom of the pan. This will keep the patties from sticking to the bottom of the pan. (By the way, if you want to do these on a grill, feel free... they would be great right off the grill!)

Once the pan is hot, place the patties into the pan. Sear the patties for about 1 minute and once they start turning color, turn the heat down to medium-low and continue cooking on that side for an additional 8 minutes or so.

Flip the patties over and continue cooking for 8 minutes, or until the hamburgers are completely cooked.

About 1 minute from when the hamburgers are ready, divide the grated cheese into 4 equal portions and place the cheese on top of the patties. Cover the pan and turn it down to low heat. Continue cooking until the cheese is melted. Once melted, remove the hamburgers from the heat.

To make the chipotle mayonnaise, put the mayo into a small dish and combine with the chipotle pepper and sauce, mix everything together.

Just a hint... have you ever bought a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and end up having to throw away what you don't use? Freeze it! Place the peppers and sauce in a zip-lock bag and spread the sauce and peppers into a flat, even layer. Place in the freezer and when you need a pepper or some sauce, take the bag out of the freezer and literally break off the peppers and some sauce (the bag can go back into the freezer). Let the pieces defrost (which takes about 10 minutes) and that's it! You'll never throw away unused peppers again :)

Now, back to the burgers... assemble the burgers with whatever garnishes you like. I used Romain lettuce, ketchup, onions, and (of course) the chipotle mayonnaise.

I loved these burgers. So full of taste and with the addition of the chipotle mayonnaise gave the burger some heat, but not too much. They were just delicious and a perfect way to satisfy my American food craving!

Happy Eating!