Crunchy, cracklin’ fried onion strings explode on top of burgers made with local freshly ground beef, topped with fiery pickled peppers and hot sauce. Add locally made condiments and cheese and serve on a Market of Choice Bakery bun for a locavore feast.
Serves: 4
Difficulty: medium
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients
Cracklin’ Cayenne Onion Strings
2 lg yellow sweet onions, peeled
2 c buttermilk
2 c all-purpose flour *
1 T salt
1 T black pepper
1/2 T cayenne
3 c vegetable oil, for frying
Firecracker Burgers
2 lb grass-fed ground beef, 85% lean
2 T butter, cold cubed ¼-inch (optional)
1 t ea salt and pepper
8 thin slices Tillamook Sharp White Cheddar
2 T Hard Times Foot High Hot Sauce
2 T mayo
4 T Red Duck Spicy Ketchup
4 T Suzie’s Spicy Brown Organic Mustard
6 oz Mama Lil’s Peppers, drained
1 ripe avocado, pitted and sliced
green leaf lettuce
4 Market Bakery sesame seed buns, toasted *
Steps
Cracklin’ Cayenne Onion Strings
Slice onions very thin (almost shaved). Marinate in buttermilk for 1-2 hours. Combine flour and seasonings in a bowl. Heat oil to 325 degrees in heavy skillet or deep fryer. Toss one small handful of onions in flour mixture and drop into hot oil, separating with tongs (some sticking is fine; avoid allowing onions to form a ball). Fry just until golden and crisp, about 2 min. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining onions. Set aside.
Firecracker Burgers
Roughly mix cold beef and butter; shape into four patties. Salt and pepper exterior and grill to desired internal temp (125 degrees for medium rare, approx. 4 min per side on hot grill). Top each with two thin slices of cheddar for the last minute of cooking. Combine mayo and hot sauce; add 1 T mayo mixture to each toasted bun bottom. To assemble, add lettuce to dressed bun, then burger with cheese, peppers, avocado, onion strings, ketchup, mustard and, finally, toasted bun top. Serve immediately with a chilled Oregon beverage.
* To make this recipe gluten-free friendly, use gluten-free flour and buns.
