Who knew that burgers and fries are almost as easy to make at home as they are to eat out? This simple and delicious dinner only made it into our repertoire last year, when Ava suddenly decided she was cool with meat prepared this way. Once I realized that you can pull this together in 30 minutes flat, I would regularly stock the freezer with grassfed ground beef from the farmers’ market, which comes conveniently Cryo-Vac’d in 1 pound packages. Pull the meat out in the morning and its perfectly defrosted by dinner time. Pair the burger with baked sweet potato fries, regular potatoes, a vegetable, a salad, etc. I rarely bother to make real french fries but have tried on occasion (though the 30 minute meal factor gets thrown out the window anytime deep frying is involved).

We are still struggling with finding the right bun because no matter what we’ve tried so far, whether its sliced ciabatta, baguette, smaller whole grain buns, etc.,. the kids leave half uneaten (yet insist on the complete burger of course). Our local burger joint has these perfectly spongy versions that I wish were available for purchase. I suppose I could try making my own but that is beyond the scope of my life at this very moment!

Preparation

Serves 4

• 1 – 1 1/2 lbs grassfed ground beef
• Salt and pepper
• 4 buns
• 2 large sweet potatoes
• Good olive oil
• chopped parsley for garnish

Burger

Heat an outdoor or indoor grill on high. Salt and pepper the ground beef generously with kosher salt, gently mixing it. Careful not to overwork the meat when mixing or shaping the burger – according to many sources, this is the key to tasty burgers. Gently shape the ground beef into appropriately sized patties and make a thumbprint in the middle.

This allows the burgers to end up flat after cooking as opposed to rounded, since they plump when they cook.  Cook on high heat for about 3-4 minutes per side for medium (adjust depending on preference). Sprinkle cooked burgers with salt and pepper to finish. Toast buns on the warm grill and serve.

Sweet Potatoes

Preheat oven to 400°. Slice the sweet potatoes in half cross-wise, then create about 1/4 inch think lengthwise slices. Finally, cut sticks out of the slices. Place on parchment or Silpat-lined baking pan, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley as garnish, if desired.