Day 104: Avocado Caprese Burgers, Classic Potato Salad

This week I added the "recipe finder" search to my blog's homepage which meant I had to go back and "label" all of my posts.  I was disappointed to find so few burger recipes.  I thought I had a larger repertoire of burgers and I thought we ate them more often.  But I guess when doing a blog like this, you're conscience of "repeater" meals which is probably why we haven't had cheeseburgers as often as usual.  I also realized that my "classic" burger recipe didn't really appear as such since it was hidden in a post about other recipes.  (Day 55)  So I'll have to create a new post about my go-to burger recipe at some point.  Tonight was a new one, even for us.  We LOVE caprese salad, tomato, basil, and mozzarella paninis, and anything with those flavors.  So why not make it into a burger???  I got the idea to put on the avocado from a magazine that I glanced at one time.  I went searching for the recipe but couldn't find it so I came up with my own recipe tonight.  When Randy said he thought it was "the best burger he's had" I reminded him that he says that every time he has a burger!  Abby's words were, "This is so good.  I love burger."  (She's yet to add the "s" to that word.)  Yeah--we love burgerS in this family!!!

Avocado Caprese Burgers

1 lb ground beef
3-4 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1 TB dried basil leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley leaves (or fresh if you have them)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp onion flakes
2 TB mayonnaise, sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt
2 tsp balsamic vinegar, divided

4 buns
2 avocados, sliced
4 slices of tomato
4 slices of mozzarella cheese

Mix the seasonings, mayonnaise, and 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar in with the beef by hand.  Form into 4 patties and grill or place under the broiler.  Meanwhile, prepare the buns by spreading butter on the and drizzling the rest of the balsamic vinegar on top.  Place under the broiler to toast the buns.  When the burgers are almost done, place the slices of mozzarella cheese on top so it can melt onto the meat.  Place the burger patties on the prepared buns and top with a slice of tomato and some avocado.

Classic Potato Salad
This is a pretty traditional potato salad recipe.  It's very easy and delicious.  I make mine a little "heavy" on the dressing--that's how Randy prefers it.  And he sops up every last drop!

3 lbs potatoes (I used red)
1 cup mayonnaise (or 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt + 1/2 cup mayonnaise)
1/4 cup milk or white wine (I've used both but I can't remember which I prefer.  This was our first potato salad of the season and I used milk.)
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 TB chopped fresh dill
1-2 tsp black pepper

Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 10-15 minutes.  (They won't be fully cooked yet!)  Drain the potatoes then place the colander back over the pan and cover the potatoes with a clean towel and let them steam for about 15-20 minutes.  Meanwhile make the dressing: combine the mayonnaise and milk and mix well.  Chop the celery, onion, and dill.  When the potatoes are done steaming, cut them into chunks and add to the mayonnaise and milk and stir until they are fully coated.  Add the celery, onion, dill, and black pepper.  Mix well and refrigerate for at least a few hours so the flavors can combine.