Grass-Fed Burgers with Crispy Onions and Curry Mayo

I thought I'd try a burger, straight-up: no mix-ins at all. Not very exciting, but quick, right? This burger actually gets its pizazz from the toppings. If you've tried the crispy shallots in some of my other recipes, the crispy onions are simply the grown-up version. They can be made a couple of hours ahead, but use them the same day to retain the crispiness. We piled a lot of them on our burgers, they are so good! The curry mayo is simple to make and adds such a nice flavor. The longer you let the mayo sit in the refrigerator, the more the flavor develops, so try to make it the night before you plan to eat it. I served this burger on kale leaves with fruit and raw carrots on the side, but feel free to add your favorite side. Sweet potato fries would also be nice. Enjoy!

Serves 6.

Ingredients
Burgers
2 lb grass-fed ground beef
freshly ground pepper
sea salt
Crispy Onions
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
4 medium yellow onions
Curry Mayonnaise
2 egg yolks
3 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp curry powder
1 cup extra light tasting olive oil
white pepper
sea salt
Optional Garnish
Kale
Carrots
Fruit

Preparation
Burgers

1. Preheat grill to medium high.
2. Form the beef into 6 patties. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Grill to your desired degree of doneness.

Crispy Onions

Be sure not to over-crowd onions.

1. Thinly slice onions using a mandoline or sharp knife.
2. Heat oil in a large saute pan.
3. Place one onion ring in the pan and watch for it to sizzle. 
4. Once it sizzles, place enough onions in the pan to cover the top, but do not overcrowd or the onions will not cook evenly.
5. Fry the onions until just light brown. Remove from pan and let drain on paper towels. (The onions will crisp while cooling.) Working in batches, repeat for the rest of the onions.

Curry Mayonnaise

1. In a medium bowl or a food processor, add yolks, 1 tsp mustard, and 1 tsp lemon juice. Whisk or process until combined.
2. Add a little bit of olive oil and whisk or process until it begins to emulsify. Continue adding oil, a little at a time, until mixture thickens. Add additional 2 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp Dijon, salt, pepper, and curry powder and whisk or process until thoroughly combined. 
3. Refrigerate mixture for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to combine. Flavor is best if you let sit overnight. Mayonnaise may be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

To Serve

Layer kale leaves on each plate. Set burger on top. Top with curry mayonnaise and crispy onions. Serve carrots and fruit on the side.

Curry Mayonnaise

I recently started preparing my mayonnaise by hand, instead of a food processor, after having some issues with my mayonnaise emulsifying properly. I found that I have much more control when whisking by hand...and it still takes only about 5 minutes to make. Be sure to use the extra light tasting olive oil or your mayo will turn out a little bitter.


Ingredients
2 egg yolks
3 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp curry powder
1 cup extra light tasting olive oil
white pepper
sea salt

Preparation

1. In a medium bowl or a food processor, add yolks, 1 tsp mustard, and 1 tsp lemon juice. Whisk or process until combined.
2. Add a little bit of olive oil and whisk or process until it begins to emulsify. Continue adding oil, a little at a time, until mixture thickens. Add additional 2 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp Dijon, salt, pepper, and curry powder and whisk or process until thoroughly combined. 
3. Refrigerate mixture for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to combine. Flavor is best if you let sit overnight. Mayonnaise may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Curried Cauliflower

This is a super-easy, very tasty side dish to serve with Indian-spiced foods.


Ingredients
1 large head cauliflower
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp curry powder

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Clean cauliflower and break or cut into medium-sized pieces.
3. Add coconut oil to shallow baking pan. Melt in oven for about 2 minutes. Carefully remove hot pan from oven.
4. Toss cauliflower with oil until thoroughly coated. Sprinkle garam masala and curry powder over cauliflower and toss to coat.
5. Bake for approximately 20-30 minutes, or until tender.

Shrimp Curry

This is a quick and easy curry recipe. To speed things up, I use jarred ginger and garlic. The cayenne gives it a great spicy flavor and perfect dimension. If you prefer a milder flavor, cut back on the cayenne, but I don't recommend cutting it out altogether. This is great served over seasoned roasted vegetables, steaming vegetables incorporates too much liquid for this meal.

Adapted from Food&Wine Magazine's 2002 Cookbook.


Serves 4.

Ingredients
3 Tbsp coconut oil
1 med onion, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 pounds shelled and deveined medium shrimp
sea salt
cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp finely chopped mint
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to brown, about 7 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to low and add the ginger, garlic, and curry. Be careful because the ginger will spatter if the heat is too high. Once spices are integrated, cook over medium heat, stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the coconut milk and stock and simmer over medium heat until reduced by one third and thickened, about 8 minutes.
4. Add the shrimp. Season with salt and cayenne, to taste, and simmer over medium heat until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Stir in the mint and lemon zest and serve in deep bowls.