Smokehouse Burgers
Grilling season, or more importantly perhaps, grilling weather, is nearly here and I, for one, cannot wait. Usually the different seasons come and go, and I don’t mind, but for some reason, this time, I’ve been itching for warm weather. All the better to enjoy the deck and walk around the lake with the kids I suppose.
Once the weather breaks, burgers hit the grill in quick fashion, as we make our way through various recipes, determined to find the “best” of the season. It didn’t quite win the top prize last year for us, but this Smokehouse Burger from the Kraft Food and Family magazine was definitely ranked right up there. Super simple with basically just the addition of barbecue sauce added to the ground beef, it produced a very moist and flavorful burger. When it comes to making great burgers, simple really IS the way to go. I’d cut back a smidge on the barbecue sauce next time. Too much essentially makes the burgers too moist, and they have trouble staying together.
French fries seems to overdone when it comes to pairing it with burgers, so we like to mix it up a bit. When these burgers hit the table, so did Masala Spiced Potatoes, a recipe from an issue of Gourmet magazine. The Husband is pretty picky about potatoes … roasted or french fries, and that’s it. Roasting potatoes at a high heat (in this case, 500 degrees), is the perfect way to get potatoes crispy on the outside and soft on the outside. The recipe called for a mixture of a few spices, but with the name being “masala,” I decided it made more sense to use my ready-made masala spice powder, and it was perfect. The masala spice gave it just a hint of spice and smokiness, and it was the ideal addition for the burgers.
A quick and easy meal outside to usher in the first beats of Spring.
Smokehouse Burgers
Recipe courtesy of Kraft
Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 32 min
Makes: 4 servings, one cheeseburger each
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
1 medium red onion, cut into 4 slices
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing, divided
4 KRAFT Singles
4 lettuce leaves
4 slices tomato (about 1 medium)
4 hamburger buns, split, grilled
PREHEAT grill to medium-high heat. Mix meat and barbecue sauce; shape into four patties. Brush onion slices with 2 Tbsp. of the dressing.
GRILL patties and onions 5 min. on each side or until patties are cooked through (160°F) and onions are tender, brushing onions occasionally with remaining 2 Tbsp. dressing. Top each patty with Singles; grill an additional 1 to 2 min. or until Singles begin to melt.
PLACE 1 lettuce leaf, 1 tomato slice and burger on bottom half of each bun. Cover with onions and tops of buns.
MASALA-SPICED POTATOES
Gourmet, May 2007
In India, no two families use the same masala blend. We think the combination here is perfect for potatoes, but have fun trying your own mixtures at home.
Makes 6 servings.
2 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch ground cloves
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 500°F. Pat potatoes dry, then toss with remaining ingredients in a bowl until evenly coated.
Spread out potatoes in 1 layer in a large (17- by 12-inch) shallow heavy baking pan, then roast, turning potatoes over with a metal spatula once or twice during roasting, until tender and some edges are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
