April 28: Big Beef Burger Stack-Ups with Mushrooms, Peppers, and Onions

Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling, plus 4 tablespoons
1 1/3 pounds ground sirloin
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 garlic cloves, 2 cloves chopped, 2 cracked from skins and reserved
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 medium yellow onion, 1/4 finely chopped, 3/4 thinly sliced
   A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
   A generous palmful of grated Parmesan cheese
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 portobello mushroom caps, thinly sliced
2 small red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and sliced
2 hot red cherry peppers, chopped, plus a splash of the pickling juice
4 slices smoked Gouda cheese
4 crusty rolls, split
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 sack (12 ounces) prewashed mixed baby greens
2 tablespoons dried thyme
   Juice of 1 lemon
1 sack of fancy chips, such as olive oil and rosemary flavor or Terra's garlic and onion Yukon Golds

Preheat a large nonstick skillet or grill pan to medium-high heat.

Drizzle some EVOO in a bowl and add to it the beef, Worcestershire, chopped garlic, red pepper flakes, chopped onions, parsley, sage, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Combine to form 4 large patties and add to the hot skillet. Cook for 6 minutes, then flip the burgers. Cook for 5 minutes on the other side.

Heat a second skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the EVOO. Add the mushroom caps with the sliced onions and bell peppers. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn the heat off. Add the hot cherry peppers and a splash of their juice.

Place the smoked Gouda over the burgers and turn off the heat in the pan. Tent the pan with foil to melt the cheese with carry-over heat.

Preheat the broiler to high. Toast the crusty rolls until golden.

Melt the butter with the remaining cracked garlic in the microwave or over low heat in a small pan. Brush the garlic butter on the rolls.

Place the cheese-covered patties on the bottoms of the buns. Top with the peppers and onions and replace the top halves of the buns.

Toss the greens with the thyme, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the EVOO, salt, and pepper. Serve the greens alongside the big beef burger stack-ups with your chips of choice.

4 SERVINGS

I made these burgers on Friday night and I was going to make the whole recipe. But my husband wanted plain food, so I made the plain burgers with just the smoked Gouda cheese on top. I have marked that I liked this meal last time I made it, so try it!