Are you confused about what's happening? Ketchup here: Kale, Masala, Massa-curd ❤️,
Cheddar, Lentil, Radish, Chard, Peas ☠️, Palms ❤️.
That makes this Burger #10... well recipe #10 anyway. Woot. For those who've asked there are 71 total recipes in the book. So this should keep us busy for a while yet.
This weeks burger sent us on a mission to find prepared polenta (harder than it sounds) along with a variety of herbs and leafy things. As I said, this burger is three burgers, mini-burgers actually. You may call them sliders.
We live sort of in the middle of nowhere and yet somehow in the middle of everywhere too. We have a pick of grocery stores, but they are all some distance away. This week we chose to go to what we call Gucci Kroger. That is, a Kroger that is just... it's magical. There, I said it. There is a juice bar, Starbucks, sushi restaurant, chocolatier, tons of beautifully organized produce, (I am such a sucker for a pretty produce section) a massive cheese store, a section where I can find British candies and specialty things. It's really just...magical. Most people will not wax poetic about their grocery store, but this grocery store is full of employees who are so kind and happy and willing to help you...it makes me like people. If you know me, you know that is saying a lot.
BURGERS
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| Three Stooges |
Burger 1:
Beef slider topped with roasted grape tomatoes from the tomato bar at the store and fresh mozzarella, because that's how we roll, drizzled with rosemary, thyme and garlic flavored olive oil. (Having not tasted this my thoughts are "OMG YAAAAS")
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| OMG YAAAAS |
Burger 2:
Hold the beef. This one is a grilled portobello mushroom, yes a mushroom cooked in balsamic vinegar and olive oil, topped with a red wine reduction (oooo reduction, that sounds fancy), mozzarella cheese (fresh cause...you know that's what we've got) and arugula (that is a fun word.) (Having not tasted this my thoughts are "I mean...I'll give it a shot.")
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| Shroomy |
Burger 3:
Bring back the beef! This slider is beef topped with... wait for it... spinach artichoke dip (homemade because of course). (Having not tasted this my thoughts are "It turns out I like spinach and artichoke more than I thought, so let's put it all up in some sliders and see what happens.")
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| Spinach Artichoke Diptastic |
This recipe required a lot of prep work. I started futzing about in the kitchen at about 4:30, Husband joined about 4:45ish and we didn't finish the burgers for pictures until 5:45. There was mixing, slicing, reducing, chopping, infusing wilting...
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| Slicing polenta |
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| Pre-burst |
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| Post-burst, infused, reduced. |
Once we realized that it was going to be a lot of work, and since the wine was open anyway, there was drinking:
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| Not out of the measuring cup, L. Sheesh! |
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| Fired up |
Every burner was hot, the oven was going, the microwave was waiting patiently for it's turn. There was oil and balsamic vinegar everywhere, spinach had fallen to the floor, fainting from the work. The question is...was it worth it. Let's find out.
Husband:
Burger 1: Tomato 7/10. The rosemary overpowers the sweetness of the tomatoes but it was a pretty good combination, maybe next time without the olive oil drizzle.
Burger 2: Mushroom 6/10. Arugula, rosemary...it was strong and didn't taste the mushroom. The reduction soaked the polenta bun.
Burger 3: Spinach 8/10. Very good. Stays firm on the burger and the bun.
Average: 7/10
Overall, I was originally very concerned about the polenta, but it turned out much better than I thought it would. Very good!
Me:
Burger 1: Tomato 7/10. It had a really good flavor. Sweet mixed with the rosemary worked well. The polenta was crunchy and actually pretty good. The biggest issue for me was that with the drizzle it was super oily.
Burger 2: Mushroom 7/10. I liked this one more than Husband did. My first two bites were good, but the wine reduction made the bottom bun so soggy. I ended up popping the mushroom and the top off and eating it with a fork instead. The reduction was very flavorful in a good way.
Burger 3: Spinach 9/10. This was by far my favorite of the burgers. I wasn't sure I even liked spinach artichoke dip, but it was so good on this. It was creamy, garlicky and with a kick that when mixed with the crunchy polenta was delightful.
Average: 7.7/10
Overall, they were three cute little sliders that tasted pretty good. The edges of the polenta were obviously crispier, so once you got to the middle it was a bit mushy, but not bad.
Since our burgers were tiny burgers and we love a theme we also cooked up some mini-tater tots, which Husband sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and baked until they were so crispy and amazing! Love that man.
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| Mini ALL THE THINGS! |
Come back next week for our next round of Burger Roulette. Until then, Keep Sizzlin'.
L xo
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