Caramelized Onion & Bleu Cheese Burgers with Spicy Sweet Potatoes

Recipe & photos contributed by Ada Smith

Serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS

Brioche burger buns

 2 medium-large sweet potatoes (or yams)

2 medium-large white sweet potatoes

3 Tbsp coconut oil, avocado oil, or olive oil

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp salt

1 lb ground beef

1 yellow onion

Bleu cheese – here we chose a locally made Petricohor, or “baby” (young) bleu cheese

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil or butter

Salt + pepper

Fresh greens such as arugula or spinach

DIRECTIONS

For the sweet potatoes:

Preheat oven to 400F.

Chop the sweet potatoes into ~1in cubes or wedges and toss with oil, spices, and salt in a large mixing bowl. When oven is hot, transfer the sweet potatoes to a baking sheet and roast until the edges are crispy and the potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork or knife (around 45 min).

For the caramelized onions:

While the potatoes are roasting, caramelize the onions. Cut the onions root to tip, creating long pieces. Thickness is up to you!

Use a wide, thick-bottomed sauté pan for maximum surface area for the onions. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil, or a mixture of olive oil and butter. Heat the pan on medium high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the onion slices and stir to coat the onions with the oil. Spread the onions out evenly over the pan and let cook, stirring occasionally.

Depending on how strong your stovetop burner is you may need to reduce the heat to medium or medium low to prevent the onions from burning or drying out. After 5-ish minutes, sprinkle some salt over the onions.

Let cook for 15 to 30 minutes stirring every few minutes. As soon as the onions start sticking to the pan, let them stick a little and brown, but then stir them before they burn.

Continue to cook and scrape until the onions are a rich, browned color. At the end of the cooking process, add a splash of balsamic vinegar or wine to help deglaze the pan and bring some additional flavor to the onions

Caramelizing onions is a wonderful way to pull flavor out of the simplest of ingredients!

For the burger:

Shape burger into patties of desired size and thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (a little splash of Worcestershire sauce is also a great flavor to add for this recipe). Grill or cook in a cast iron on your stove top to desired doneness.

Assemble by letting slices of bleu cheese melt while the burger is warm, top with caramelized onion and add to a toasted brioche bun with greens and a side of spicy sweet potatoes!