Island Picnic Pork Burgers
By
Naylet LaRochelle
@MiaMia05
1
On a recent trip to the Caribbean, I fell in love with the sweet and spicy flavors typical of their cooking. I ate a similar burger with fresh papaya at a beachside café, where all the grilling was done right on the beach! When I got home, I wanted to recreate this delicious burger. So, I made my version with pineapple and an orange-mint mayonnaise. For crunch, I add crispy shoestring sweet potatoes. This burger can be grilled indoors, or if the day is perfect for grilling, take the cooking outdoors.
Ingredients
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1 lbground pork meat
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2 tspgrated garlic
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3/4 tspkosher salt or to taste, divided
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1/2 cmayonnaise
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2 Tbspsour cream
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1 tspgrated orange peel
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2 tsporange juice
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2 tspfinely chopped mint
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2 Tbspolive oil
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1/2 cthinly sliced onion
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1/2 cthinly sliced red bell pepper
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1/2 cthinly sliced orange bell pepper
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3/4 tspjerk seasoning, or more to taste
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3 Tbsppineapple-coconut juice blend
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3/4 cchopped pineapple
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·vegetable oil, for frying
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1 1/4 cvery thinly sliced match-stick size sweet potatoes
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·nonstick cooking spray
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4soft kaiser rolls, split
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2 ccoarsely chopped mixed greens
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3 Tbspchopped cilantro
How to Make Island Picnic Pork Burgers
- In a large bowl, combine ground pork, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste). Handling the meat as little as possible, mix well. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions; form into 4 patties to fit the buns. Cover.
- In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, sour cream, orange zest, orange juice, and mint. Cover; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, over medium high heat on stovetop, add olive oil. When oil is hot, add onions and red and orange bell pepper. Cook, stirring ocasionally, 4-5 minutes or until softened. Add 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, Jerk seasoning, and pineapple-coconut juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3-5 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat; stir in pineapples. Cover to keep warm.
- In a medium frying skillet, over medium high heat, pour vegetable oil to cover bottom and about 1/2 inch up sides. Fry sweet potato sticks, in batches if needed, until crisp and golden, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper-lined plate to drain. Do not cover.
- Preheat a large grill pan over medium high heat. Lightly spray grill pan with nonstick cooking spray. When pan is hot, grill patties, flipping once, about 4-5 minutes per side or until desired doneness. Place buns, cut side down, on grill; grill 1-2 minutes or until lightly toasted.
- To serve, spread orange-mint mayonnaise over cut side of each bottom bun. Top each with greens, a patty, onion-pepper relish, sweet potato fries, dividing all components into equal portions. Sprinkle with cilantro. Top with top buns. Serve immediately.
