Burger Bowls with Special Sauce
How was your fourth of July? Did you go anywhere or do anything or see anyone fun? Are we supposed to do any of the above in the days of the ‘rona? I’m not sure, but we definitely did all of the above. A little over two years ago my mom informed me that she went halfsies on a BOAT with a man she had been seeing exclusively for about six months. I honestly thought her decision to do that was absolutely insane and I told her as much. To put it into perspective, I’ve been dating Mike for 5 and a half years. He’s asked me no less than 687 times to go halfsies with him on a new motorcycle and the answer is no every single time. In the unlikely event that we decide to part ways, that could get real messy. What am I going to do with half a motorcycle that I can’t even drive? Same ideology with my mom and this boat, except amplified because she had only been with her boyfriend for six months at the time and knew absolutely nothing about boats and also gets motion sickness.
So, long story short, my mom and Dave purchased this boat for a relatively low price from the original owner, but only because it needed a ton of work done to it. Like, the boat was out of the water when they went to look at it and the engine didn’t work so they couldn’t water test the boat before purchasing it. It was definitely a risk, but Dave knew what to look for and what to avoid and he liked what they saw so they decided to pull the trigger on it. Dave is a mechanic so he was able to fix the engine on the boat. They have put a ton of sweat equity into this boat for the past two years straight, and they are just now starting to be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Mike and I went up to see the boat for the very first time this past weekend and, let me tell you, my mom and Dave are two extremely modest people.
Turns out they don’t have a boat. That thing is a yacht and it’s beautiful and they’ve done such a wonderful job restoring it. It’s basically my apartment, but on water and a lot more fun and attractive to visitors. I guess I should have known this when my mom mentioned something about a guest bathroom, but it didn’t really sink in for me until I was actually on the boat taking a tour through it that I realized what they had going on there. Seeing my mom learn a brand new life skill is really fun to witness and she’s doing such a great job with it. One of the very few downsides to the boat is that it’s pretty far away. It’s still at the marina they purchased it at, in the Finger Lakes of upstate New York. I had never been there before this past weekend and I’m so glad we went because it’s incredible up there. We were out on the boat all day Friday and Saturday and we had absolutely perfect boating weather the entire time. And after spending a weekend there, I completely understand why they want to keep the boat right where it’s at. The other people who keep their boats at the marina are awesome people. When Dave steers the ship into the harbor, their friends see them coming and drop what they’re doing to come over and catch the lines to tie us off. I got a sunburn our first day out (I know, rookie move) and the people a few boats over went out of their way to supply me with aloe to soothe the burn. I have a million other stories like that I could share but I won’t bore you with them here. Long story short, it’s like the minute you leave New England, people are just NICE because they want to be. It was refreshing and exactly how I wanted to spend my July 4th this year.
Anyway, enough about boats. Let’s transition to beef. These burger bowls are delicious year round and we eat them year round, but I’m betting they would be delicious grilled all summer long as well. I’ve never tried grilling them but I’m sure they would come out just great. If I’m being honest, the Special Sauce is the star of this show. If you’re trying to keep things Whole30 compliant, you’ll want to make a batch of my BBQ Sauce before starting out. Truth be told, I always make a big batch of my BBQ Sauce every time I do a Whole30. It keeps me excited about eating healthy and it only takes about 20 minutes to make from start to finish, so why not? It’s a main ingredient in this Special Sauce, so if you’re doing a Whole30 you’ll use it here and elsewhere throughout the month. Lastly, I suggest serving these burger bowls with some French fries on the side! Skip the Campfire Sauce from that recipe, have the Special Sauce instead, and you’re good to go here! Yay burger night!
Burger Bowls with Special Sauce
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Make the burgers: Divide the 1 lb of ground beef into three patties of uniform size. Work with your hands until they stay together and form burger patties. Place on a flat surface and season one side of the burgers with ½ tsp onion powder and sea salt to taste. Set aside.
- Make the Special Sauce by combining all of the Sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisking with a fork to combine. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. When melted, place the burger patties in the skillet seasoning side down. Season the other side of the burgers with the other ½ tsp of onion powder and more sea salt to taste. Cook 5-6 minutes and then flip. Use a spatula to smash the burger down into the skillet and cook for another 5-6 minutes (depending on how you like your burger cooked). Use a meat thermometer for more precise cooking if you desire.
- While the burgers cook, assemble the bowls. Use the lettuce as the base and put the tomato slices, onion slices, and pickle spears off to the side. When the burgers are done cooking, remove from skillet and let rest for 5 minutes, then place on top of the bed of lettuce. Top the bowl with the Special Sauce and serve immediately!
