“HERE’S THE BEEF!!” BURGERS WITH CURRY AND SWEET POTATO

The concentration on these burgers was on the burger patty itself with minimal bread and add ons to detract from the incredible flavor and moistness of these burgers. You only need bread thick enough to hold together. Sweet potatoes are a staple in the South and make these burgers incredibly moist.The Jamaican Curry Powder was a great find while shopping one day. I have never had curry this good before.

Ingredients:

1 small sweet potato (when mashed should measure no more than 1 cup)
3 cups water
1 ½ pounds ground round or ground chuck
2/3 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1½ teaspoons Jamaican curry powder*
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (if using curry powder which contains salt, reduce salt to 1 teaspoon)
1 egg
1/3 cup panko crumbs
¼ cup sesame oil
Vegetable oil, for rubbing on the grill
6 ounces of sliced Butterkase cheese
6 sandwich thins or thin sliced bagels
6 oak lettuce leaves
½ cup sweet Thai chili sauce
1/3 cup hot Chinese mustard

* If Jamaican curry powder is not available use the following:

½ teaspoon coriander seeds
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
1/8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/8 teaspoon whole allspice berries
½ teaspoon ground turmeric

*The curry powder or components for homemade curry powder are available in large international farmers markets, Indian Food Stores, Indo-Paki Food Stores, and well stocked grocery store chains.

Instructions:

Heat gas grill to medium heat. Place the sweet potato and water in a fireproof saucepan and place over heat. Loosely cover with foil. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes or until potato is fork tender. Peel and place in a small bowl and mash with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl with a large spoon, mix together the beef, onion, garlic, curry powder, salt, egg, panko crumbs, and mashed sweet potato; handling meat as little as possible. Shape into 6 patties to fit the buns. With a brush spread the sesame oil on both sides of the patties. Place on a platter and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Heat gas grill to a medium-high heat. Rub the grill with vegetable oil. Place patties on grill and cook 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until desired doneness. During last 2 minutes of cooking the burgers, top each with sliced cheese. Place bread face down on the outer edges of the grill and brown for 2 minutes. Place burgers on a clean platter and cover with a tent of aluminum foil and let set for 5 minutes.

To assemble, place the burger on the bottom half of each sandwich thin or bagel. Top with a lettuce leaf. Spread with equal amounts of chili sauce and mustard. Top with the other half of sandwich thin or bagel. Serve immediately.

*If the Jamaican curry powder is not available, combine the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, allspice berries, and turmeric in a blender and blend on high speed until the mixture is powdered.