Cheeseburgers with Spinach and Feta - By: ChefBrian

Back in 1983, I had the great pleasure of working as a Head Chef at a fast casual diner in Washington DC. The restaurant was located in the heart of downtown DC and sat 250 people. This was a very daunting task, but I had some great mentors to help me along the way.

I remember coming to work one day, and the General Manager (Gus) wanted to speak with me about the menu. He told me that I was doing a good job, but he had some suggestions on how to make the menu even better. He suggested that we spice up our burger selection. He told me to be creative and think outside of the box. We talked some more in detail, and that's when he told me about a recipe his Mom would make for him when he was a child back in Greece.

He said it was real easy to prepare and that he was sure it would be a huge seller. That was the day I was introduced to the 'Greek Burger” This burger became so popular on our menu, we couldn’t keep up. I was so surprised at how many people would order this burger. It was not only tasty, but was very
healthy for you as well.

It all starts with a 1 pound of good lean ground beef. When you are at the store, look on your meat package and purchase meat that is 80/20. This would mean 80% meat with 20% fat. This is a good ratio for a good quality beef. Now in your mixing bowl you need to add, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper, 1 teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon lemon pepper, 1 clove chopped garlic, ½ cup crumbled feta cheese and 1 cup diced spinach (frozen). Mix all of your ingredients together and make your patties.

Once your burger patties are made, let them rest for about 30 minutes before you place them on your grill. This will allow all of your ingredients to settle into the meat. When chopping your spinach, make sure you drain all of the water from the spinach before adding to your meat, this will prevent your burgers from becoming to loose and wet.

Place your burgers on your grill and cook on both sides for about 10 minutes. The aroma that comes from the burgers while cooking is incredible. You can smell the oregano and the feta as it melts inside the meat. The spinach acts as a buffer and is also a substitute for any lettuce you might have put on later.

At the restaurant, once the burgers were cooked, we would take some fresh made BBQ Sauce and add ¼ cup lemon juice and 1 tablespoon oregano to the sauce. Then, we would drizzle the sauce on top of the burger at the last minute. I'm sure you can now see why this burger was a huge success. I hope you get the chance to give this recipe a try.

Eat Well!
Chef Brian
http://htbbqsaucemix.com

About the Author

Chef Brian is a trained Chef, and the creator of Herman T's BBQ Sauce Mix. Professionally trained at the Baltimore Culinary College, Chef Brian has owned and operated several restaurants throughout the Country. In 1995 Chef studied abroad in Italy and received his master culinary certificate in Italian find dining cuisine. His latest passion is the art of grilling, smoking and anything BBQ. For more recipes and to receive your free cookbook, visit his site. http://htbbqsaucemix.com

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/ChefBrian/131991

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