Cheeseburgers and Championships
Football. Caramelized Onions. Guacamole. Championship Football. Plus, as of this posting, the Packers have just earned their ticket to the Super Bowl. Life is good.
Source: National Sports Beat & Technorati
For those of you that have read any of my previous posts, you may or may not remember that my husband and I have a little weekly challenge for one another. We trade off every Sunday and give the other person three random ingredients and on Sundays we have to make a meal featuring them. It’s gone really well so far, I think that my husband has an edge on me, and I’ve gotten to enjoy some great meals.
This week, as it is Championship Sunday, we really wanted cheeseburgers and my ingredients were : sweet potatoes, eggs, bacon. Our cravings definitely directed my meal this week and I think that it ended up fairly spectacular. Besides, who doesn’t love a juicy cheeseburger?
First: The Meat. We are big fans of Bison and at my local Wegman’s (my new favorite grocery store, it’s amazing!!! I could do an entirely separate post extolling the wonders of that store) they carry organic Bison at a very reasonable price. I roasted a little garlic earlier in the day and added it to the mixture of meat, salt, pepper and egg (Bison tends to be really lean).
Second: The Buns. I have baked these buns at least four times and I think that I’ve finally figured them out. I love brioche bread, it’s so soft and gets a nice crunchy exterior. I’ve used them for burgers, pulled pork sandwiches and then of course just regular sandwiches. They’re always delicious, but I have struggled to get them to rise high enough. This time – success! They turned out so fluffy, if anyone has questions I’m happy to chat with you about it! Plus, brioche is an egg bread and fulfilled my ingredient requirement (yeah I know, it’s a stretch!)
Third, and some would argue the most important: Toppings! I make caramelized onions about once every two weeks, we put them on everything – sandwiches, eggs, mashed potatoes, whatever you can think of. They are a must on burgers, animal style all the way. Also – guacamole. I didn’t take any pictures of me making the guac, I was too focused on the task at hand and had a hungry football fan waiting eagerly on the couch. I put a lot of stuff in my guac – red onions, some kind of mild chile (hungarian or anaheim), roasted garlic, cilantro, salt and pepper and a healthy squeeze of lime. This time at the suggestion of other bloggers I also added some plain greek yogurt which gave it a great creaminess. Tonight we added bacon (my bacon requirement) and some maple smoked cheddar (it’s great, trust me).
Lastly: A Side. Tonight I tried something a little bit different so that I could meet the sweet potato requirement. I’ve made sweet potato fries before and they always end up a bit soggy. I found this post and said “that’s for me!”. They turned out really great, though I baked them longer than the recipe calls for. They would also make a great appetizer at a party, very portable!
I would love to hear what you’re doing for Super Bowl! Feel free to post your recipes and ideas here! Go Packers!
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Category: Featured Articles: Travel & Culture, Main Dish - Land and Sea, Recipe Vault, Travel & Culture, US & Canada
Darn you, Packers! We were rooting for the Bears! In any case, the burger looks OUT OF CONTROL delicious. Thanks for sharing, Elyssa!
Hi! I am thrilled you stopped by my blog & that the sweet potatoes worked out for you
Sounds like you and your hubs are having a great time!
Whatever. Once the Pats lost, no point in watching. But I’ll have a burger – and that brioche!
I wish the Packers could be playing the Jets, but alas, not meant to be… These burgers are out of control. My mouth is watering and I am reading this at 10:30am!!!
Um. I WANT ONE!! I was hooked at the roasted garlic…everything else is just icing on the cake. Seriously sounds like an amazing meal. My Colts aren’t going, so I am rooting for the Packers! You’ve reminded me I need to get a menu going for Superbowl!!! Thanks for sharing this delicious post w/ the hearth and soul hop this week.
Awesome burgers! Love those fluffy homemade buns!
Ouch. I’m from Chicago
I haven’t lived there in years though so I guess it’s okay 
Nice going with the challenge! I haven’t tried ground bison yet, just shanks. Might have to give it a try for our next burgers.
These burgers look delicious through and through … and homemade from top to bottom too … amazing! I have neve rtried Bison.
i love bison and my store carries it also!! the rolls look divine and love the sweet po, oh a menu for superbowl…????
sweetlife
Great looking burger and I love sweet potato chips.
These burgers look awesome! Love all the toppings…yumm!
I’ll cheer for whatever team you want if I could get a taste of those burgers. They look insanely good.
Do you deliver? Those look beyond delicious. I only know two other people who make their entire burger meal from scratch (including the buns), and they’d be jealous if they read this post.
So, what is the secret to the buns? NEED TO KNOW! Must have burgers for dinner!
Congrats on the Packers win!
Your site’s like going to college, all these electives.. food & Nutrition, Politics, Culture and Travel.. it’s fascinating! And you and your husband seem to have an exemplary relationship. I won’t let Adam in the kitchen because he makes and UNBELIEVABLE mess so the challenges in our household are uni-directional, most recently the yearly birthday cake challenge.. he won;t stand for chocolate and every year I have to come up with something original in which chocolate is only a detail. It’s fun. but on to the meat of the matter: Cheeseburgers rule! That’s all! Yours must have been delicious!