Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Mozzarella Stuffed Burgers with Heirloom Tomatoes, Avacado, and Roasted Red Peppers on a Kaiser Bun

I need a little break from cleaning, sewing, and my graphic design work right now so I thought I would share what we made last Saturday for my husband's birthday dinner.  He requested "gourmet burgers" for his birthday so we took a trip to our favorite grocery store and got a whole bunch of goodies that we could really get creative with.  We grilled out, enjoyed these amazing burgers, and then roasted marshmallows with the kids in front of the chiminea and camped out in a tent in our living room!  By the way, the kids wanted to "take daddy camping" for his birthday. :)



For the patties:
1.5 lbs. ground premium sirloin
2 Eggs
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
Splash of Worchestershire Sauce
1/2-1 tsp. dried Mediterranean Basil
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 ball FRESH mozzarella


Toppings:
6 Kaiser rolls
1 large avacado
1-2 heirloom tomatoes
1 jar roasted red peppers
1 head fresh lettuce (we used red leaf lettuce)
Your favorite condiments

Mix ground sirloin, eggs, shallot, and garlic in a large bowl.  Add Worchestershire sauce, basil, salt and pepper to taste and combine well.  Shape into twelve 4" patties.  Slice fresh mozzarella ball into 6 slices.  Top six patties with slices of mozzarella, then top with another patty.  Gently pinch together sides of burger to seal in the mozzarella.

Slice kaiser buns in half.  Slice avacado and tomatoes.  Clean enough lettuce leaves to top your burgers.  Arrange toppings on a plate.

Grill burgers over a hot charcoal grill and serve with toppings and condiments.  Allow everyone to build their own burger!

My husband upon biting into his burger: "This is the best burger I've ever tasted, this is exactly what I wanted for my birthday."

Happy 30th honey!