on Sourdough Roll with Onion Rings or Baked Fries
The Night Stalkers #5
EXCERPT:
Trisha followed the amazing scents of burgers and fries and bacon and eggs. Since they flew at night and slept during daylight, it was often the toughest decision of her day. Should she have breakfast because it was now morning, according to most of the planet’s population? Or dinner because it smelled so good and she’d successfully completed her first fully mission-qualified flight with the Night Stalkers? She went with her nose and had a burger with bacon and a fried egg on it, with a side of hash browns.
The service guy behind the stainless-steel chow line had handed it over with a smile and a friendly wink. She knew a lot of women who got all stubborn or pissed about being treated differently. Trisha winked back. Hell, she was different. She squared her shoulders while carrying the tray over to the ketchup and mustard pumps. Only the fifth woman to ever qualify for SOAR, she was a woman in a man’s job because she was absolutely that damned good.
“Don’t you ever eat anything green?”
Trisha looked up at Colonel Gibson, the commander of the six Delta Force operators aboard. He was somewhat taller than she was: five-ten, making him tall for a D-boy, and greyhound lean. They’d slept together a couple of times when she was still in SOAR training and their assignments had briefly overlapped at Fort Rucker. She could attest that every ounce he carried was pure muscle and that his stamina was astonishing. It had been fun, but it hadn’t taken on anything deeper for either of them, so they’d become friends instead.
“Not if I can help it.” His steel tray included a token banana. “And that yellow thing there doesn’t count.”
“It’s closer to green than all that red meat you got on yours.”
“Not by much, Michael.”
Note: In reviewing the meals in my books, we discovered that I have a real problem as a writer. When my characters eat, I often give them my favorite meal—really often. I can’t begin to tally how many of my novels include characters eating a burger. So, in homage to Trisha, here’s my favorite, just this once.
NerdGuy Tip: For how to make the Sourdough Rolls at home, see the recipe for Pulled Pork with Sourdough Rolls written up for Take Over at Midnight, The Night Stalkers #4.
Active time: 20 minutes / Cook time: 25 minutes / Total time: 40 minutes / Serves: 4
Ingredients for the Burger
- 1 lb. 85% or 93% lean ground beef. (For a healthier option, I occasionally make this with lean ground turkey. If so, add an extra teaspoon (or so) of Worcestershire sauce for a stronger umami taste.)
- 1 lg. egg
- 3/4 c. panko
- 1 Tbsp. oregano
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1-1/2 tsp. tarragon
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- Anything, seriously: bacon, fried egg, cheddar…
- My second favorite topping: slices of ripe avocado and garden or hothouse tomatoes (i.e. ones that actually still taste like tomatoes)
- My favorite topping: thin-sliced mushrooms sautéed in butter, topped with a slice of melted Swiss cheese…and maybe a schmear of avocado
- 2 lbs. Russet potatoes
- Olive oil to coat
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A pinch of paprika or ground cayenne pepper (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- If sautéing mushrooms, start them now over medium heat with a Tbsp. of butter, olive oil, or a splash of water to get them started cooking. Covering for part of the time will speed this up a bit. Stir occasionally, add a little more water if scorching.
- In a large bowl:
- Beat the egg. (This adds fat back to the meat that will hold the mixture together, rather than letting it cook out like the fat in less lean meat.)
- Break up, but don’t overwork the ground meat.
- Put in all other ingredients, with Panko just on the top to stay dry. Don’t mix Panko with all of the other ingredients until ready to cook.
- In another large bowl:
- Wash (or peel) and cut the Russet potatoes into 1/2”-3/4” cubes (we prefer them with the skin on).
- Toss with oil and seasonings. (Use a spoon or spatula, otherwise all of the spices end up stuck to your fingers.)
- Spread out as much as possible in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes (giving them a quick flip at 15 minutes) until a fork passes easily through them. If not crispy enough for you, switch to broil. Check them every minute (seriously, use a 60-second timer). Somewhere around 3-4 minutes is perfect but they go to burnt within a minute.
- Ten minutes before potatoes are done: form the ground meat into 4 equal portions. Roll together between your palms to form a tight ball. (If it feels wet and loose, add another 1/4 c. of Panko. Dry and falling apart? Beat another egg and mix it in.)
- Drizzle oil in the pan on med-high heat. (Mushrooms should be sautéed by now and can be scooped out.)
- Flatten to 1/2”-3/4” and brown 2-3 minutes per side until well browned. (When is it okay to flip? When the burger no longer sticks to the pan.)
- Put rolls into toaster oven to toast lightly. Don’t go all the way to brown.
- Turn heat under burgers down to medium and cover, flipping occasionally. Continue to cook until interior measures 160°F with an instant-read thermometer.
- Top with some sautéed mushrooms, a piece of Swiss cheese and cover for 30-60 seconds until cheese starts to melt.
- Place on bun, smother with more sautéed mushrooms while cheese still loose enough for them to stick. (Put that thick schmear of avocado on the upper bun for something green on the plate.)
- Serve with a generous helping of baked fries.
 Burger on Sourdough Roll (see Night Stalkers #4, Take Over at Midnight for roll recipe). And baked onion rings (future recipe for Firehawks Smokejumpers #2, Wildfire at Larch Creek). I went with adding yellow to this plate. |
 A generous pile of Baked French Fries dresses up any burger. This plate deserved some green: a spinach-arugula salad in this case. |