Alberto's Burger

When my parents told me six month ago that my middle brother Albert would be joining our little roommate situation for some undetermined amount of time, I was a little nervous.

Except, subtract the little nervous and add in freaking terrified.

I love my brother very much, but we are the perfect storm of really similar and really different in all the wrong ways.

But I’m happy to report that most of my concerns were silly and we have gotten along swimmingly. For the most part.

It is actually really enjoyable having him around and we’ve been able to spend more time together in the last six months than we have in the last six years.

And the best part is that he shares my extreme love of food.

He is never afraid of trying new things and mixing things in odd combinations.

So it’s no surprise that he inspired what is now my all time favorite burger. A burger so delicious that I had to give it a name.

Who better to name it after than the man who inspired it?

You will need…

For the Burger Patty:

1 ½ pound ground chuck (80 percent lean)

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ onion, grated

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the Avocado Spread

2 ripe avocados

1 large jalapeno, seeds removed and diced

1 tablespoon garlic powder

½ onion, diced

Juice of 1 lime

For the Alberto Burger

4 onion buns

3 shallots, sliced into thin rings

4 slices Swiss cheese

6 slices maple bacon

1 ripe tomato, sliced

1 head butter lettuce, separated into individual leaves

Start by cooking your maple bacon in a large, heavy sauté pan over low heat. The lower you cook your bacon, the better of a crisp you will get it.

Cook your bacon for 20 to 30 minutes, until brown and crisped.

While the bacon is cooking, combine the ground beef, salt, pepper and grated onion in a bowl and use your hands to combine completely.

Divide the beef into 4 equal parts and roll them into patties about 4 inches in diameter. Brush them lightly with the oil and set them aside.

Heat your grill to a medium high heat.

When the bacon is done cooking, add in your sliced shallots to the bacon fat and cook them down for about 15 minutes, until they are very brown and soft.

While the shallots are cooking down, combine the avocado, jalapeno, diced onion, garlic powder and lime juice in a medium sized bowl and combine until the avocados are mashed and everything is well combined.

By now, the shallots should be cooked down. Remove them from the heat and add them to a serving plate with the tomatoes, lettuce, and the bacon (chop each piece into 2 pieces).

Take your cheese and your burger patties out to the grill. Place your patties down on a hot part of a grill and sear the patties on one side for 2 minutes. Flip the patties and sear them over a hot part of the grill for another 2 minutes and then move it to a slightly cooler part of the grill.

Add a slice of cheese to each patty and continue to cook the patties until the cheese has completely melted.

As soon as the cheese has melted, add the buns to the grill and heat them for 10 to 20 seconds to give them a good toast.

Spread the bottom of each bun with 2 tablespoons of the avocado spread and top the spread with a burger.

Top the burger, 3 half bacon pieces, the browned shallots, lettuce and tomato.

Serve hot to those with a hearty appetite.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela