Welcome back! Where have you been all summer?? We’ve wanted nothing more than to make delicious burgers for you, but you were off galavanting to the beach, to the mountains, to the mid-west, and, yes, we know about your trip to Alaska. Oh, wait, that was us! Not to mention, we’ve relocated to a new kitchen and have been seasoning it like a cast iron skillet. (That means spilling paprika all over the counter, right?) But we’re finally settled in, restocked, stoked about our new local farmers market, and ready to celebrate with burgers!
We chose the 50 Ways to Leave Your Guava burger from the Mother Daughter Laser Razor episode because its featured ingredient brought back yummy cheesy guava pastry memories from our trip to Cuba a couple years ago. We wanted to relive those memories, but with beef (and of course the Cuban staple: pork), so we hit the internet to find the perfect recipe. We were not disappointed, and trust us, you won’t be either!
Drink
With our Cuban inspired burger, we obviously needed a Cuban inspired beverage, so we revisited the island go-to: the mojito. We’ve done grapefruit and dragonfruit mojitos with previous burger pairings, but this time, we chose in-season blackberries from our new local farmers market. Just muddle 1/2 cup blackberries and add a bunch of fresh mint leaves, juice from 2 limes, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/2 cup light rum. Split between two glasses over crushed ice, top off with club soda*, and you’ve got yourself delicious summertime Blackberry Mojitos.
Nomz
For this Burger of the Day, we went with the Cuban Fritas with Matchstick Potatoes burger. This burger is a bit of a process, so plan accordingly!
Guava BBQ Caramelized Onion
This component is the most time consuming, so get a head start on it! The onions take a while (45ish minutes) to caramelize, during which time there’s plenty other work to be done.
Start with 1/2 onion in 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over low-medium heat. When the onions are nearly done, prepare the guava sauce. In a smaller skillet, put 1/8 cup guava paste and 1.5 tbsp water over heat until paste forms and thickens a bit. Add 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar, if that’s all you have on hand, like us) and cook for a couple more minutes. Finally, add 1/8 cup ketchup to complete the simple guava BBQ sauce. Add the caramelized onion to the sauce.
Mojo Mayo
While the onions are doing their thing, prepare the mojo mayo. Mix 1/4 cup mayo with 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp orange juice, and 1 minced garlic clove.
Matchstick Potatoes
Let’s add some crunch! Fry 1 peeled and shredded russet potato in oil for about 4-5 minutes until golden. Toss in salt and smoked paprika (we used regular paprika) until seasoned to your liking.
The Meat
We picked up our meat this week from Smith Meadows, another new vendor at our local farmers market. We mixed 1/2 lb pork chorizo with 1/2 lb ground beef and seasoned with paprika, then added 1 egg and 1/4 cup panko crumbs, and formed into two patties. The recipe also called for evaporated milk, which we bought, but then realized evaporated milk is totally overrated.** We salt’n’peppered the patties and topped them off with thick slices of muenster cheese.***
Assembly
On the bottom half of a toasted telera roll (traditionally used for Mexican tortas), spread the mojo mayo, add the burger, and top with the guava onion and a heaping pile of matchstick potatoes.
Review
This burger was amazeballs and perfectly balanced sweet, savory, and salty. The potatoes added a lot of texture, and the the telera roll really supported the deliciousness we piled onto it. The mojo mayo was a bit runny and could have maybe used more mayo to thicken it up, but the subtle garlic flavor it added was on point and completely added to the enjoyment. We really couldn’t wait to have this burger again, and didn’t! You’d better believe we duplicated it the following night. It can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere, but best experienced after a spirited game of mother-daughter laser tag.
*We might suggest adding a sparkling soda or simple syrup, something to make it a little sweeter and balance the tartness of the berries.
**That moment when you realize you don’t own a can opener…
***Cheese was not in the original recipe, but what can we say, we’re cheese people. Despite everything else going on, a burger without cheese is still naked. On the second night, we made one of these burgers without the cheese (not by choice – we ran out!), and it was noticeable. Don’t skip it – you’ll miss it.
Bob's Burgers by Broads 