Cajun Burgers

Some of the best eats I have had in my lifetime have come from the great state of Louisiana. New Orleans is a food Mecca with some of the greatest culinary minds in Cajun and Creole cuisine. While I did dine at fancy restaurants and feast on expensive dishes, one of the best meals I had was actually a cheap cajun burger. The secret was in the sauce, which of course the cook would not share with me, so here is my best take on the recipe.

Burger Ingredients

1/2 lb. ground beef

1 medium - hot pepper (depends on your taste)

2 tbs cajun spice

1 tbs onion powder

1/4 cup of finely chopped yellow onion

Pinch of salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl. Once all the components are thoroughly mixed, separate meat into 4 equal sized balls then flatten to about an inch thick to create the patty.

Heat a skillet on high and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Spacing burger patties apart, place in pan and cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes or until desired doneness. Feel free to add a slice of pepper jack or cheddar cheese around the last minute before taking the burgers off the heat.

Onion Rings Ingredients

1 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 large yellow onion cut into thick rings

1 1/2 cups of buttermilk

1 bottle of vegetable or peanut oil

To me, nothing says delicious burger like some onion rings. While these were not on the top of the original New Orleans burger, I figured they would add a delicious twist..and I was right.

First pour oil into a heavy pot and turn heat on medium high. Next, pat the slices of onions dry with a paper towel. Combine the box of Jiffy mix with the buttermilk until it becomes a sticky batter. Dunk the onion rings one by one into the batter until completely coated. Drop a tester onion into the oil to see if it has reached the desired frying state, you can tell this when the onion immediately rises to the top and little bubbles form around the onion.

Fry all onions until they are a golden brown. Let drain on a paper towel and set aside to be used on burger.

Sauce

3/4 cup of light mayo (you can use regular as well)

2 tbs hot sauce

1/4 cup of fresh salsa

2 tbs Worcestershire sauce

2 tbs cajun seasoning

Combine all ingredients for sauce and adjust hot sauce to taste if needed.

Top burgers with onion rings, sauce, and any other desired toppings (my husband added some fried beef bacon to his). Be liberal with the sauce and enjoy :)