Saturday, August 11, 2012

Cook: LA Burger by Bobby Flay

 
Summertime is a great time for refreshing salads, watermelon, and of course - burgers.  The other day, J and I were looking for a solid simple recipe to try and came across Bobby Flay's recipe for the LA burger. It was a hit - even more delicious than it looks!

Ingredients:
  • 80 percent lean ground beef chuck (1 lb serves four)
  • Cheese - you pick - monterey jack or cheddar (we used cheddar)
  • 2 hass avocado (we picked them up from the farmer's market) 
  • 1/2 diced small onion
  • 1 minced jalapeno
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • salt and pepper
  • greens - watercress (I think we used arugula)
  • tomato slices
Directions: 
  1. Bobby's Perfect Patty -  Shape 6 ounces of 80 percent lean ground beef chuck into a uniform patty, no more than 3/4 inch thick (don't overwork the meat). Make a depression in the center with your thumb so the burger won't bulge; the indent will rise as the patty cooks. Preheat a grill or cast-iron grill pan to high. Brush the burger with canola oiland season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown and slightly charred, turning once (7 minutes for medium-rare). Avoid pressing with a spatula! Add cheese for the last minute of cooking.
  2. Avocado Relish - Avocado is one of Bobby's favorite ingredients. He mixes 2 chopped Hass avocados with 1/2 diced small onion, 1 mincedjalapeno, the juice of 1 lime, 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro, andsalt and pepper.
  3. Garnish: According to the recipe, "L.A. doesn't do iceberg lettuce, so Bobby tops off the burger with Watercress instead. (we used arugula)".  Add slice of tomato
 
As seen: served with pan roasted shishito peppers, heirloom tomato salad, and watermelon for dessert.