pizza burger

Pizza Burger

The actual name of this burger is the 'Barack Obama Pizza Burger.' It was published in a Food Network magazine right next to the 'John McCain Chicken Queso Burger.' I posted the chicken queso burger yesterday, in case you missed it - have to give equal time to 'both sides of the aisle' as they say! Whatever your politics - try both recipes because they are equally good! We have been making both burgers in our house for about a year - depends on our mood - beef or chicken.... There is a bit of prep work to these burgers, so be sure to plan for that.

Here's what you need for these burgers:

great buns

1 stick butter

1 head garlic

fresh parsley

champagne vinegar

ground beef (enough for nice large patties. I like to use ground round, but of course ground chuck would be excellent too)

marinara sauce (jarred is fine)

lots of fresh mozzarella cheese (in the picture above we used regular mozzarella, but fresh is much better)

fresh basil leaves - a definitive taste to these burgers and one which must not be overlooked.

Here's what to do for the buns (the secret ingredient in this burger):

Roast a head of garlic by removing the outer paper, slicing off the top just a bit to expose the cloves, drizzling with a tiny bit of olive oil, placing the entire thing in foil and baking for 45 minutes at 350.

When it's done, you should be able to squeeze the garlic out into a bowl. Mix it with about 1 stick of butter, 2 T chopped parsley, 1 t champagne vinegar and salt.

Smear this garlic butter on both halves of the buns - these you will grill and toast to perfection.

Grill the meat to medium rare. After you have flipped them, add about 2 T marinara sauce on top of the burger and then place on slices of mozzarella.

Cover the grill, watch the buns, melt the cheese....

Serve with more marinara sauce and fresh basil.

These really taste like pizza! There's no need for mustard, ketchup, pickles or the other standard burger condiments. These stand on their own just as is.

I wonder which you will make first? The John McCain Chicken Queso Burger or the Barack Obama Pizza burger?

I also wonder which other politician will get a burger named for him or her?