I call these wannabe sliders because sliders are usually tiny, cute little burgers that you could eat a couple of.  Some of you might know these as a six-pack from White Castle.  This verion i made aren’t so tiny, but are really the size of a burger before the American portion size, i.e. super-sized, came into place.  I haven’t been able to find buns tiny enough to make true sliders so I make do with potato rolls or hawaiian rolls.  After I built mine with all the toppings, it was pretty hefty.  I was in the mood for potato rolls but if you wanted to complement the flavor with a touch of sweetness the hawaiian rolls would be great too.

Sliders are the cupcake of the savory world.  Cute and small, but oh so powerful.  This recipe promises to make them even more so.  Clara Fishel, of the restaurant Cafe Metropole, that once existed in Savannah, Georgia, was nice enough to give my BF the recipe to his favorite burger.  By the time he got the recipe in 2003, the restaurant had closed down and the owners had relocated to SF.

 

 

One thing that’s important to know about home made, well any decent burger, is you have to start with good ground meat.  I usually get mine at Bristol Farm’s or Whole Foods.  A good butcher can help you out.  Try to avoid the pre-packaged stuff at Vons.  Most times it’s got a funky color and even if it’s not showing on the outside, it will be that funky grey color on the inside.  eek.  Also, it’s important for burgers that you use a ground beef that has about 20% fat, especially if you are cooking on the grill.  They will be juicier and won’t be high risk for dry out.  These are definitely an indulgence in the calorie department.  If that’s something you are worried about I would switch over to ground turkey (not the super lean one) and throw an egg in the mixture to help bind it, before I would opt for the leaner ground beef.  The portion I have photographed in the photo is not excessive, and when served with salads and other greens, is really a nice balanced summer meal.

 

 

HERBED BURGER RECIPE:

serves 4-6

 

1 lb ground beef, around 20% fat  or ground turkey, makes around 6 small patties

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

1 clove of garlic, peeled, pressed or minced

1 tbs olive oil

1/4 bunch of flat leaf parsley aka Italian parsley, stems removed leave chopped fine

 

1 egg optional (for turkey version it’s a must.  For beef if you are felling decadent-  though if i’m gonna do an egg on a burger its gonna be over easy as a topping!)

 

6-8 potato rolls or hawaiian rolls

 

 

 

MY WAY ALSO HAS:

2 tbs crumbled bleu cheese 

(I find this adds a nice flavor but you can’t really taste the cheese.  

if doing this, do not add additional salt to the mixture.)

 

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

 

optional additional spice ideas:

cayenne pepper

cumin

garlic powder

herbs de provence

fresh basil

paprika

 

 

TOPPING IDEAS:

caramelized onions 

fresh onions

tomatoes

mayo

mustard

harissa mayo-  mayo mixed with spicy moroccan harissa, to taste

arugula

mixed greens

sauteed mushrooms

avocado

bacon (of course)

horseradish

cheese of any kind-  i have a weakness for American cheese on burgers

roasted peppers

pickles

etc

etc

etc  the list goes on, the ones in bold are shown in the photo.. a nice combo i might add.

 

 

 

Chop finely all the herbs and garlic.  Put all the ingredients in a bowl with the meat and mix it though with you hands.  Clara says it has “gotta be the hands and your done.”  Anything goes and what spices you feel like putting in the burger are up to you.

 

WF tip:  making the meat mixture a day ahead is even better, allowing the meat to meld with all the flavors. 

 

 

 

Start forming the patties with your hands.  I have a lame patty shaper which is even less necessary for this slider size patty.  The size of these patties or any should be about 1 inch larger in diameter than the actual bun.  There’s a little something called shrinkage.  Besides, there’s no crime in a burger draping over the bun.  No crime at all.  But vice versa and you might as well forget the bun.  A large bread border around a patty is a very sad sight indeed.

 

Heat the grill up.  Make sure to clean the grill and also just before cooking the patties, you want to spray the grill with oil.  These tiny guys can’t risk getting broken in the ’scrape and flip’.  You could use foil, but then why grill them?  Personally, I think its an urban myth to press the juices and fat out of burgers as you are cooking them.  Why would you get rid of all that amazing flavor?  Leave it be.

 

 

Perfect, diamond shaped grill marks are a challenge in this case.  I like my burgers medium to medium rare.  Stripes are fine since you won’t have the cooking time to get the diamonds, plus less movement on them the better.  Less risk in breakage.  

 

About 2-3 minutes on each side should be sufficient.  Residual heat will allow them to cook 5 more minutes.  Toast the split buns on the grill or in the oven.  

 

Top, build and eat.  

 

For the additional spices and topping suggestions, follow your mood of the day and event and have fun.

Served here with roasted wedge yellow potatoes and roasted corn and heirloom tomato salad.  Recipes to follow.