Grilled Herb Hamburgers w/Goat Cheese
Cut out the bun for this burger beauty. The ground beef is loaded with fresh herbs, grilled and then seated comfortably along with grilled tomatoes and white onions, all atop crisp romaine and endive spears. Not a goat cheese fan? Feel free to change up to your cheese of choice.
Ingredients:
3 lbs lean ground chuck (I like to use 85% - still enough fat to stay juicy)
1 tbsp each finely chopped fresh thyme, oregano, rosemary, and flat-leaf parsley
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2-3 large tomatoes, thickly sliced
1-2 large onions, thickly sliced (I like to use white or Vidalia)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
5 oz fresh goat cheese, sliced into 6 equal portions
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped (I used whole leaves as "bedding")
1 head red or white endive, thinly sliced crosswise
Heat grill to medium. In a large bowl, place ground chuck and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix ingredients together until combined. Form into 6 patties; set aside.
Brush the tomato and onion slices with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill the tomato and onion slices until slightly charred on both sides (onion should be tender), 4-6 minutes for tomatoes and 6-8 minutes for onions. Remove from the grill, and keep warm. ( I left on top of warming grill until ready to use.)
Grill hamburger patties, 3-5 minutes per side for medium-rare. When they have reached desired doneness, place cheese on top of each patty. Grill until cheese is slightly melted.
To serve, stack slices on onion and tomato on a serving platter with romaine and endive. Place hamburgers on top. ( I chose to do each plate individually.)
