Behold the Almighty Beet Burger

Beet burgers??? HELL YES! Of everything I've cooked over the years for my friends and family, these beet burgers are the most requested, praised, and quickly devoured. These are so damn good that I challenge any meat eater to honestly tell me they aren't delicious. If I see any such comment, I'll come to your house and eat my first real hamburger in 15 years. I'm that sure.

This is one of the few recipes that will appear on this blog that is not my own. But it is so good, I just have to share it. The recipe is adapted from a wonderful cookbook called Recipes from America’s Small Farms. It is a phenomenal book that has tons of great recipes and advice for eating locally and seasonally. I can't say enough good things about this cookbook. Buy. It. Now.

I probably don't need to tell you, but great toppings can include blue cheese crumbles, horseradish, Pickappeppa sauce, wasabi, fresh herbs, watercress, mayonnaise, heirloom tomato slices, pickled jalapeños, avocado, fake or real bacon, melted cheese, etc. Also, I've got an incredible homemade BBQ sauce recipe that I'll post soon.

Makes about 15 burgers. Prep time: 2 cocktails

½ cup sesame seeds

2 cups grated beets (roughly 2 large beets)

2 cups grated carrots (roughly 3 large carrots)

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 cup cheddar or pepper jack cheese

1 cup raw, shelled sunflower seeds

2-3 large eggs, beaten

3 TBSP flour

½ large onion, chopped fairly finely

¼ cup corn or vegetable oil

¼ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 TBSP soy sauce

1 TBSP red chili flakes

Lots of ground black pepper

½ cup crumbled feta or goat cheese (chèvre) (optional)

Additional fresh herbs like basil, oregano, thyme or cilantro (optional)

1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce + 1 Tbsp additional flour (optional)

Buns and fixings

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat small, dry frying pan on medium heat. When hot, add sesame seeds. Stir almost continuously until seeds are toasted and brown, but not burned. Remove immediately and transfer to large mixing bowl.

Add all other ingredients to bowl. Mix well.

Coat a cookie sheet really well with cooking spray. Form mixture into patties of normal hamburger size and shape. Cook 25-30 minutes or until cooked through. Remove, let cool a minute, and eat like regular burgers.