Naughty Cravings: Epic Crispy Quinoa Burgers Topped with Sweetpotato Fries, Beer Caramelized Onions & Gruyere
All hail the classic burger! Or, you could hail this bad boy instead: the Epic Crispy Quinoa Burger topped with Sweetpotato Fries, Beer Caramelized Onions and Gruyere from Half Baked Harvest. And you thought quinoa was only for dieters and vegans! This month’s Naughty Craving is proof that a meatless burger can be indulgent, and then some.
Maybe it’s that unexpected bite from the sweetpotato fries that puts this burger over the edge, or maybe it’s the gooey, melted gruyere cheese. Whatever it is, we’re just excited that it’s still barbeque season so we can enjoy this treat on the deck with a cold beer and a day at the beach behind us.
Quinoa Burgers
2 cups cooked red quinoa
1 cup cannellini beans, mashed
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, grated
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon peper
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 of your favorite burger buns | http://www.halfbakedharvest.com/everything-bagel-slider-buns/]
4 eggs cooked to your liking, optional (but recommended)!
Sweetpotato Fries
4 medium sweetpotatoes, cut into thin 1/2-inch thick strips
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/4-1/2 cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
4 tablespoon olive oil
Beer caramelized onions
1 tablespoon butter
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
1 cup beer (I used pumpkin beer)
In a bowl combine the quinoa, mashed cannellini beans, bread crumbs, egg, garlic, chipotle chile powder, salt and pepper. Mix well to moisten the ingredients and then mix in the shredded cheddar cheese. Mix well again and form into 4 or 5 equal burger patties (I made 5). Place on a plate and put in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place cut potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle with oil, chipotle chile powder, cayenne, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Gently toss with your hands or two spatulas to evenly coat. Spread on a baking sheet in one layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then flip and bake for 15-20 minutes more. You want the sweetpotatoes to be crispy, but not burnt. If you want perfectly crisp fries I recommend spreading the sweetpotatoes on a greased wire rack and baking them as directed above. But this way is a bit of a pain. Keep the sweetpotato fries warm until ready to top on the burgers.
While the fries cook caramelize the onions. Heat large skillet. Add 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened.
At this point you want to slowly add the beer, let it cook into the onions, add more and let it cook. Do this until the 1 cup of beer is gone or the onions are caramelized to your liking and the beer has evaporated. Remove from the skillet and keep warm.
In the same skillet add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Grab the quinoa burgers and cook until golden and crisp, about five minutes per side. During the last minute or so of cooking add the Gruyere cheese, cover the pan and cook 2-3 minutes or until the cheese has melted. My burgers were not crumbly at all and very easy to flip.
To assemble the burgers, place each burger on a bun, top with equal amounts of caramelized onions and sweetpotato fries. If desired add you egg. EAT!