more grillin'

Inspired by my bro and the epic Minnesota weather of late, I'm at the grill most evenings (except, of course when I run out of gas in the middle of the meal...but that RARELY happens two years in a row, right?). Here's a recent evening's fare:

Bleu Cheese Stuffed Burgers, Yukon Potato Wedges and Spicy Green Beans


Bleu Cheese Stuffed Burgers
3-4 tablespoons grated onion (like a vadalia)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 egg (trust me, it helps keep the burger moist)
1.5 lbs ground beef (I use 90% or leaner ground beef)

Mix above together and roll into four balls. Press thumb into middle of ball - about an inch in. Fill with one tablespoon of a good creamy bleu cheese (my favorite is Pt. Reyes Bleu Cheese). Flatten to 1 inch thick patties. Grill on high heat (don't forget to spray the grill - refer to this post for a good spray bottle photo op), 4-5 minutes on each side. Consider grilling up some of the left over vadalia onion, and while you're at it throw the buns on the grill to toast them.

Yukon Potato Wedges
3-4 small yukon potatoes, sliced however you want to
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Toss wedges in olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on aluminum foil and place right on hot (400 degree) grill. Close lid and grill for a good 20 minutes, or until a little crispy. Given the time these take, I'd suggest putting them on the grill before burgers. P.S. Mine didn't get super crispy, but my this is my brother's recipe and he does them in the oven at 375 for 20 minutes so perhaps the oven situation was better for crispiness.

Spicy Green Beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chili paste (more or less depending on your heat-tolerance index)
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon ginger minced (or a tad more if you like)
3 green onions sliced / diced whatever your favorite style of cutting
2-3 handfuls of green beans (perhaps a pound or so?)

Clean green beans and snap ends. Heat olive oil in skillet - medium heat. Add green beans to skillet and heat for 5-7 minutes...good green color and a little puckering...but still crispy. Remove green beans and set aside. Add green onions, ginger and garlic to skillet and heat for just a minute or so. Add chili paste, soy sauce, brown sugar and stir. Add green beans, stir to coat and allow to cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Slice a good tomato, onion, lettuce and get some great buns (these are from Breadsmith). A good tonic with lime refreshment and it's like summer is here or something (though we did sit inside on this evening, it was about 60 degrees).




burgers and onion...nearly done!