Danish Pork Burgers

I haven't uploaded any photographs of dinner this last week (and there is one in particular I'd like to share, because it really ticked me off), but I was scrolling through my drafts for something to share. I cannot believe I haven't sung from the mountain-tops about these burgers yet. Let me do so now. Ahem.

Delicious but different. Knock-your-socks-off tasty. Warm and cozy. Easy to prepare. Easily one of my top five favorite burgers. Maybe even top three.

Elise over at Simply Recipes posted about these in February 2007. I don't know when I happened upon them, but I didn't make them until December... which, now that I think about it, is a damn shame. All those months this recipe was available to me and I overlooked it.

You may wonder to yourself, "Do I want a pork burger with saltines in it?" My answer is a resounding YES! The red onion and saltines impart a delicate... something... to the burger that is plain addicting. I can't explain it, but the combination is fantastic. I don't remember how many burgers I ended up with, but between Dave and I, we ate them all. Seriously. All of them in one night. It was crazy. (Which, in retrospect, makes me hope there weren't a lot of them!)

Now, I didn't serve these babies on a bun. It was the middle of winter and I was longing for egg noodles. Once the burgers were done, I poured a little chicken stock into the pan and scraped up the bits. To that I added the mustard, forming a little sauce to go over the burgers and noodles.

Now that it's burger season, I implore you to give these a try.


Danish Pork Burgers
c/o Elise at Simply Recipes
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/004289danish_pork_burgers.php

1 pound ground pork
1 red onion, finely diced
16 saltine crackers, crumbled
1/2 cup whole milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for cooking
Dijon mustard for serving

Combine the pork, onion, saltines, milk, eggs, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix well together.

Lightly brush a large, nonstick skillet with vegetable oil. Heat on medium high heat. Divide the pork mixture into 8 equal portions. Working in batches, drop them from a spoon into the hot pan, spacing them evenly. Pat down with the back of a spoon to form into patties. Cook each patty, turning once, for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Serve the burgers hot with a dollop of Dijon mustard.

Serves 4.

See the recipe...

Zucchini Ricotta Frittata

It's seriously as much fun to eat as it is to say! I just adore Elise's site, Simply Recipes. Not just for all her tasty food (though, thats enough!), but because of her engaging commentary. I feel like I know her family, understand why they eat what they eat, and I look forward to seeing what they come up with on a daily basis! Sure, you all read what she has to say, too, but I can still get my Elise fan-girl going. :)

So. Where should I start? This is an excellent way to use up all of your stray zucchinis and yellow squashes AND!!!! if you don't eat it with bacon (like we did), its pretty healthy! We had this meal right before we left on our trip to Vegas a few weeks ago... and I'm hoping I get more zucchinis in our CSA this week, so I can make it again!

Another reason I liked this recipe is because it gave me an excuse to use my mandoline again. I don't know what happened. For the longest time, I saw so many recipes that would have benefited from my having a mandoline, so I got one... and now, I barely use it. (I hope this doesn't happen with my nifty new torch!!!!)

The recipe says it serves 2 to 3, and it means it. Yah, it looks big, but its thin... and delicious... so the less of you there are, the less you have to share!!!

You can find the recipe on Elise's site - I didn't change it one bit!

See the recipe...