Author Notes
I made this burger one summer evening while standing by my grill where my fresh herb plants also grow. I grabbed some rosemary on a whim, one of my favorite herbs, and threw it on the meat last minute. This set off a quest to find other interesting accompaniments as I didn't want traditional ketchup to mask the subtle fresh flavor. Standing at my fridge door I grabbed some leftover buffalo mozzarella and decided the perfect complement to these two herby-creamy additions would be something salty, so out came the green olive tapenade. The flavors are truly spectacular -- simple so each one can be tasted, but unique for an eye closing-induced savoring bite. I usually make this with Bison, a nice lean and healthy alternative which tops the ANDI meat scorecard, but these flavors work well on beef too. —cdilaura
Ingredients
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1-2 pounds
ground bison (~1/4-1/2 lb. per burger depending on desired size)
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2 sprigs
fresh rosemary
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1 teaspoon
olive oil per pound of bison
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1/4 teaspoon
kosher salt
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1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground pepper
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4
1/4-inch slices of fresh buffalo mozzarella
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4 pieces
lettuce leaves
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4
1/4-inch slices tomato
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Green olive tapenade for spreading
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4
fresh buns
Directions
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Preheat grill to medium heat. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, drizzle olive oil over the bison {not required, but helps keep the burger juicy if using a leaner meat}, add salt and black pepper to season.
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Remove leaves from one spring of rosemary, roughly chop and add to the bowl. This adds a nice fresh, herby flavor to an otherwise standard quarter pounder.
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Gently mix all together and form into equal sized patties about 1-inch thick and 5 inches in diameter to serve your crowd.
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Tip: Place the patties on a tray and put a thumb imprint in the center of each patty about halfway through the thickness of the meat. Since meat contracts when it cooks, this will allow the center of the burger to cook to the same doneness as the outer edges and prevent your final product from looking like a football.
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Cook the burgers over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Check for doneness when burger releases easily from the grill with a spatula and is nicely browned on the under side.
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Flip each burger, adding a slice of fresh buffalo mozzarella on top to melt and lightly toast the buns on the grill while the burgers cook an additional 2-3 minutes.
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Remove the toasted bun, spread some green olive tapenade on the top bun, stack the lettuce, tomato and burger. Hold on tight and enjoy! The saltiness of the olive tapenade is a perfect complement to the creamy, mild mozzarella and lean bison. I think you’ll find these flavors truly spectacular!
Some people were born with a silver spoon in their mouth, mine was wooden. With an Italian heritage on one side and a Lebanese heritage on the other, good food was never hard to find. I grew up with Sunday dinners at Grandma’s, big pots of sauce simmering away on the stove all day and hand cut pasta drying on the rack in the basement. The perfume of lemon, garlic, garden grown herbs and other fresh ingredients always scented our family kitchens. So it is no surprise that my love for fresh, hand-prepared food is something I now love to share with new and old friends. Because of that, I put on my apron, sharpened my knives and started a blog and NYC supper club called 8.ate@eight to continue spreading the good food love.
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