Hearty Paprika Burgers
Hot and sweet paprika-seasoned burgers are layered with cheese, red peppers and a spicy sauce. When you add tomato, lettuce and onion, there's no need to make a salad!
Ingredients
- 2 large red bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- 3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/8 cup white vermouth or dry white wine
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef or ground beef, pork and veal mix
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, finely chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon hot paprika or chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 8 slices Gruyère, Swiss, Gouda or smoked Gouda cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons pickle relish
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- Seeded potato hamburger rolls, lightly toasted or buttered and grilled
- Toppings: bread-and-butter pickle slices, lettuce leaves and thinly sliced red onion
Preparation
Broil the bell peppers until blackened and blistered. Let cool, then peel, seed and slice into fat strips.
In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Pour in the vermouth (or white wine) and stir up any browned bits. Let cool.
Place the ground meat in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Mix in the onion-garlic mixture, the sweet paprika, marjoram, hot paprika (or chili powder) and allspice. Form four large patties, making them thinner at the centers and thicker at the edges for even cooking.
In a large skillet, heat the EVOO, one turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook, turning once, for 8 minutes for medium. Add the cheese in the last minute of cooking, tenting loosely with foil to melt.
In a small bowl, make a sauce by stirring together the sour cream, ketchup, relish, hot sauce, salt and pepper.
On the roll bottoms, layer the patties, roasted peppers, pickles, lettuce and onion. Slather the sauce on the roll tops and set in place.
