Description

A flavor-packed, epic burger that shares its bun with shoestring fries!
In collaboration with Nicollet Laframboise and adapted from a recipe by Three Guys from Miami.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Special Sauce

1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sriracha or to taste

For The Shoestring Potatoes (see notes for substitution)

4 russet potatoes
1 cup of vegetable oil for frying, or more as needed

For the Burgers

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
1 1/2 cups finely minced yellow onion, divided (1/2 cup will be used to top the cooked burgers)
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons sweet Spanish paprika
2 teaspoons smoked paprika (sweet not spicy)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Black pepper, to taste

Also:

8 Cuban rolls, brioche rolls or hamburger buns, toasted
Lettuce leaves, optional

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

To make the sauce, mix all of the ingredients together in a small saucepan: ketchup (1 cup), water (1/4 cup), vinegar (1 tablespoon), sweet paprika (1 1/2 teaspoons), cumin (1 teaspoon), salt (1 teaspoon), oregano (1/2 teaspoon) and sriracha (1/2 teaspoon). Cook at a gentle simmer, partially covered, for 5 minutes. Sauce can be made a day ahead and refrigerated until ready to use.
Peel the potatoes and shred them on a box grater or in your food processor with the coarse shredding blade. Swish them in a bowl of cold water, pour out cloudy water, and repeat until the water is clear. Just before frying, drain them in a colander and dry them well by squeezing them between several clean absorbent dish towels. The dryer the better for getting them crisp and brown. Pour oil into a heavy, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and fry the potatoes, in small batches, until they're golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt.
Make the meat mixture in a large bowl or in a food processor. Combine ground meats with 1 cup of the onions and the garlic (2 tablespoons). Mix by hand or pulse a few times in the food processor, to combine. Add ketchup ( 3 tablespoons), cumin (1 teaspoon), paprika (2 teaspoons), smoked paprika (2 teaspoons) and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Mix by hand or pulse just until combine. Form the meat into 8 thin patties.
Cook patties in batches, on a preheated flat griddle or in a frying pan coated with a little vegetable oil, over medium heat, for 2-4 minutes per side or until they're cooked to your liking. (I suggest medium rare to medium). Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
To assemble the fritas, spread some special sauce over the bottom half of a bun. Place a patty on top, add more sauce, some finely chopped raw onion and a big pile of shoestring fried potatoes. Spread a little sauce on the inside of the top bun and place it on top. Repeat with remaining burgers. Serve immediately.

Notes

If you don't feel like frying potatoes you can substitute crunchy store-bought potato sticks such as French's.

Nutrition Information: The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and is not a substitute for the advice of a professional nutritionist.

Prep Time: 40 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Category: Dinner
Method: Sauté and fry
Cuisine: Cuban