Mediterranean Burgers include an array of flavors both in and on top of the burger and can quite possibly be the perfect sandwich.

Mediterranean Burgers

Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime

The idea for this burger came about while shopping at Kroger. I needed something for dinner as it was getting late in the day, so I settled on a package of ground chuck that was on sale.

Burgers cook up very quick, and for those shopping days when I don’t have much planned, it easily becomes the “Saturday Night Burger.” I’d gone over to the cheese counter to find some cheese to put on them. I found a package of Mediterranean herb infused gouda cheese which was very nice and decided on that. Around the side of the cheese counter on the olive bar were a variety of things that sounded great with Mediterranean herbs: olives, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, hummus. I grabbed a bit of all of those to include in my sandwich.

Burger Toppings

The olives, tomatoes and garlic are easily enough minced and just mixed with a pound of beef along with the Parm cheese, a dash of salt and a generous sprinkle of black pepper. You  might note I don’t use a binder in these. My meat wasn’t particularly wet so I didn’t need it, and in fact, I do prefer a burger without filler such as egg and oats or breadcrumbs. As you can see in the photo, they are quite firm. But if yours come up a little sloppy, a few dried breadcrumbs should pull them together. I  doubt you would need any egg at all.

The burger buns at the market looked really bad so I passed on those. They actually looked like someone sat on all of them, and my mind wandered to what could have caused that. I smiled and shrugged it off. For right across the aisle was a bin of freshly baked bolillo rolls which, with the ends cut off, would serve nicely. But you can use whichever buns serve you best, perhaps even opting for a low carb or GF wrap, or perhaps wrapping the burger in lettuce (I have done that many times!)

Prepped Burger Patties

These burgers don’t need any ketchup, mustard or mayo of any kind since the hummus does the job there. The other toppings you can vary as you see fit. If you can’t get the herbed gouda, there are other nice cheese available, such as aged gouda, smoked gouda, or ever types of cheddar and havarti. All of those would be good. If it doesn’t come already sliced, just slice it yourself when it is really good and cold. Mine was a bit of a hack job, but I didn’t get time to chill it enough before cutting. At any rate, it all melts nicely. I tend to nuke my burgers to melt the cheese if I haven’t done it already on the griddle or grill.

The burgers themselves can be cooked on a griddle or outside on a grill, whichever you prefer. Many times I like mine grilled outdoors for that extra bit of smoky flavor, but I was a bit lazy and didn’t feel like setting up the grill and lighting a fire, as it was already getting late. Perhaps you have one of those George Foreman grill thingies. I never got around to buying one, I must admit, and it’s a bit late in the game to be picking one up now. I mean, where would I put it? I do have an electric panini maker , but that often sits idle as I use pans on the stove top as well as a cast iron panini press. I have to tell you. I really do think that whichever is the more simple is best! Some of these gadgets and small appliances are totally frivolous (and yet I still buy them….). Oh dear. Does anyone remember the little thing called the “Hot Dogger” that came out around 1975? The first summer following the Christmas those came out, all the yard sales were swimming in them. Apparently not as fabulous as the ads led to believe. I suspect there is a “hot dogger” graveyard somewhere that in perhaps a thousand years, archaeologists will dig up the remains with a very puzzled look.

Anyway, these burgers seem perfect for Memorial Day weekend, as we launch ourselves into the summer of 2015. We always like to start grilling in force around this time of year.  Just today we grilled some salmon that should appear on the blog soon enough. And I have ribs in the freezer begging to be set free.  #soon

Enjoy the burgers and your holiday weekend as well. Remember to think about those who gave the greatest sacrifice. It is what the holiday is about, after all.

~Sue

You might also like:

Spicy Sicilian Burger with Basil Mayo

German Burger

Chicken Cordon Bleu Burger

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