Cowabunga Beef Burgers with Yummy Yammy Fries

Credit Greta and Janet Podlesk

Smoky bacon cheeseburgers with spicy sweet potato wedges.

Tip: Look for small bottles of Club House Mesquite Rub/Marinade in the spice aisle of your grocery store. (It’s a wet paste, not a dry spice mix.)
Per serving (1 cheeseburger with 1/8 fries): 491 calories, 20 g total fat (8.9 g saturated fat), 34 g protein, 48 g carbohydrate, 5.4 g fibre, 87 mg cholesterol, 979 mg sodium
Tip: Chipotle chili powder is a new McCormick spice that adds smoky heat to the seasoning mix. If you don’t like spicy food, leave it out.

Barbecue Sauce

• ½ cup ketchup
• 2 Tbsp molasses
• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp mesquite spice rub (see Tip)

Mushrooms

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 cup thinly sliced cremini or button mushrooms

Patties

• 2 lb(s) (907 g) extra-lean ground sirloin
• 3 slices (raw) reduced-salt bacon, finely minced
• 8 soft, whole-wheat hamburger buns
• 8 light cheddar cheese slices
• Other burger toppings as desired: ketchup, mustard, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.

Yummy Yammy Fries

• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp chipotle chili powder (see Tip)
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp onion powder
• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• 3 Tbsp olive oil

To Make:

Barbecue Sauce
1. To make sauce, whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small pot and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Let cool.

Mushrooms
1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in non-stick skillet. Add mushrooms and cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Patties
1. Preheat gas grill to high setting. To make patties, combine beef, minced bacon, and 2 tbsp barbecue sauce in a large bowl. Mix gently using your hands. Shape meat into 8 patties.
2. Brush grill rack lightly with oil or spray with cooking spray. Grill burgers over hot coals until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Be careful not to overcook them or they’ll be dry. Baste both sides of burgers with barbecue sauce during last couple minutes of cooking.
3. Top with cheese slices, close lid, count to 10 and remove from heat! Serve burgers on whole wheat rolls with sautéed mushrooms and your favourite burger toppings.

Yummy Yammy Fries
1. Combine all spices: grated Parmesan cheese, ground cumin, chili powder, paprika, chipotle chili powder, garlic powder and onion powder, in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Wash potatoes and pat dry with paper towels. Do not peel them.
3. Slice each potato into french-fry-like wedges (about 10 fries per potato, depending on the size of the potato). Toss fries in a large bowl with olive oil until well-coated, then toss with spice blend.
4. Spread fries evenly on a non-stick baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 8 minutes. Turn fries over and bake an additional 7 minutes, or until tender. The exact cooking time will depend on the thickness of your fries. Make sure you don’t over-bake them, or they’ll be soggy.

Matchstick Fries

• 2 medium-large potatoes
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 1/4 tsp caraway seeds, toasted (optional)
• 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt

To Make:

1. Peel the potatoes, then using a Japanese vegetable mandolin, cut into julienne strips. Wash in cold water to remove starch.

2. Dry in a clean cloth

3. Heat the oil to 180C, add the potatoes and fry until golden and crispy.

4. Drain on kitchen paper.

5. Place the caraway seeds and seeds in a mortar and pestle and crush fine. Sprinkle over fries and serve hot or cold.

The Ultimate Fries

• 4 large floury potatoes
• Vegetable or sunflower oil for deep frying
• Coarse sea salt

To Make:

1. Peel the potatoes, rinse under cold water, then dry in a clean cloth. Cut into strips about 1cm wide and 5-7cm long.

2. Half fill deep fryer or deep heavy based fry pan with the oil and heat it to 150° C

3 Fry the potatoes in the oil in batches for 5-8 minutes until they are soft but still very pale on color. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. The chips can be perpared to this stage several hours in advance, as long as the final frying is done just before serving.

4. Raise the temperature of the oil to 200° C and returnthe fries to the oil in batches.

5. Fry for 2-3 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon.

6. Drain the fries on kitchen paper, then serve sprinkled liberally with the coarse salt.