The Checkdown's Sunday Cooking series offers up star recipes from star players around the league.
Up first: An out-of-this-world good gourmet burger from Houston Texans linebacker Whitney Mercilus. Make it at home by following these easy steps:
Ingredients:
Juicy Beef Patty
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons finely-chopped parsley
- 4 tablespoons room temperature butter
- 1 egg
Toppings
- Brioche buns
- 1 thinly-sliced heirloom tomato
- Arugula (optional)
- Smoked Gouda cheese
- Thinly-sliced shallots
Garlic Aioli Sauce
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 lemon juice
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of pepper
- 1 teaspoons olive oil
Recipe:
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together mayo, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef with garlic, parsley, butter and egg. Mix and season with salt and pepper.
- Separate the mixture and divide into six even-sized balls for cooking.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat, and toast the brioche buns. Once the bun is lightly toasted, set aside for plating.
- One at a time, place your patties on a medium-high heated cast-iron skillet, and smash flat with a spatula. Flip and sear each side for a few minutes, until browned.
- After each side is cooked, place the sliced gouda cheese on top of the burger patty. Reduce heat and cover for a few minutes. Once cheese is melted, remove burger from skillet onto a plate.
- Place grilled burger on top of bun, and top with heirloom tomato, arugula, shallots, and spread aioli. Press top bun down, and cut in half. Your gourmet burger is complete!