italian burgers.

last night matt's brother came over for dinner and we took advantage of the great weather by grilling out, hanging out on the deck and then watching the capitals.   these burgers are amazing a twist on everything we love, italian food, grilling and hamburgers, paired with spiced sweet potato fries it was a delicious meal. these will be a staple on my go to recipe list throughout the summer.

Ingredients

Burgers:

2 lb. ground sirloin

4 tbsp. red onion, finely chopped

2 tsp. garlic, minced

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. black pepper

4 dashes of balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. salt

sliced fresh mozzarella

fresh basil leaves

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Basil Ketchup:

1/2 cup ketchup

Handful fresh basil leaves (about 1/4 cup)

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Preparation

1. To make the patties, combine the ground sirloin, onion, garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, pepper and balsamic vinegar in a large bowl.  Mix well to thoroughly combine.  

2. Form into into 12 thin, round patties .  Place a slice of fresh mozzarella and a few basil leaves on top of six of the patties.   

3. Lay the remaining patties on top of these, sandwiching the mozzarella in the center.  Pinch the edges of the patties together to form one large patty with the cheese in the center.  Preheat the grill.

4. While the grill is heating, make the basil ketchup.  Combine the ketchup, basil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a blender or food processor and pulse until well combined and finely chopped.  Set aside.

5. Cook the burgers on the preheated grill until cooked to your desired doneness and until the cheese inside has melted.  Just before the burgers are done cooking, split the Kaiser rolls in half.  Toast the buns.  Assemble the cooked burgers on the rolls with fresh lettuce, tomato, and basil ketchup as desired

Results: Yields 6 burgers

*modified from Annie's Eats {source}