Burgers all'Amatriciana

Taste: ****
Difficulty: Easy
Cleanup: Quick

Tim and I had these tasty burgers on Monday night!  It was a beautiful day and we wanted to put our grill to use.  What better way to use it than to grill burgers!

I saw this burger recipe on the Every Day with Rachael Ray website and I knew I would enjoy a burger that utilizes ingredients from one of my favorite pasta dishes, Bucatini all’Amatriciana.

The burgers were really delicious!  A few notes…I used a touch more pancetta and red onion than the recipe called for.  And, to give the burgers a little of the heat that the pasta dish has, I added some red pepper flakes as the pancetta and onion were cooking.

Definitely don’t skip the roasted tomatoes.  These were delicious and so easy to make.  They provided a great sweetness to the burgers (typically provided by ketchup).

Lastly, I didn’t want to skip the parmesan-covered buns but I always think burger buns are a waste of calories.  So, I was excited my mom discovered Arnold Sandwich Thins – a super thin bun!  All of the bun goodness without a huge amount of bread.

I served a salad with the burgers.  A delicious start to the week!

Burgers all’Amatriciana
Every Day with Rachael Ray, May 2009

8 plum tomatoes, sliced lengthwise into thirds
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for drizzling
Salt and pepper
A couple of pinches of sugar
Four 1/8-inch-thick slices pancetta, chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground beef sirloin
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (a generous handful)
4 crusty kaiser rolls, split
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
4 leaves romaine lettuce, shredded

Heat the oven to 400°. On a baking sheet, arrange the tomato slices in a single layer and drizzle with EVOO; season with salt, pepper and the sugar. Roast for 30 minutes.

While the tomatoes are roasting, in a large nonstick skillet, cook the pancetta and onion over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool; wipe out the skillet and reserve. Add the beef, garlic and parsley to the pancetta mixture; season with salt and pepper. Form into four 3 1/2-inch-wide patties. When the tomatoes come out of the oven, preheat the broiler, arrange the split rolls cut side up on a baking sheet and toast.

Heat 1 tablespoon EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, in the reserved skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef patties and cook until browned and crisp on the bottoms, about 5 minutes, then flip and cook for 3 minutes more for medium-rare.

In a small bowl, microwave the butter until melted, about 20 seconds. Brush the butter on the toasted rolls and top with the cheese. Broil for 1 minute.

Top each roll bottom with lettuce, a beef patty, tomatoes and a roll top.