St. Patti's Day Burger

In honor of St Patrick's Day I decided to make an Irish themed burger. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to cook a burger at all. Because of the torrential downpour and heavy winds we lost power from Saturday night until Sunday afternoon. We were without power for twenty one hours. When the power went back on at about 3:30 I had to rush out to the store and buy the groceries for this week's burger. For this burger I decided to use ground lamb. I seasoned the lamb with salt and pepper and then poured in a bottle of Sam Adams Boston Lager. If I really wanted to get Irish I probably should have used Guinness or Smithwick's. However all I had was the Sam Adams and I didn't feel like making an extra trip to the liquor store. After soaking the seasoned lamb in the Beer for a few minutes I then poured the contents of the mixing bowl into a strainer. After straining out the excess liquid I put the meat back into the mixing bowl and again seasoned with salt and pepper. During this process I preheated the oven to 450 degrees. I really wanted to find Irish bacon. However, I was on a time crunch and I looked at two different stores and could not find it anywhere. I had to settle for Canadian bacon. It is very similar to Irish bacon so that would have to do. I cooked the bacon in the oven on a wire rack until the edges crisped up. This took about 15 minutes. After I let the ground lamb which was soaked in the beer sit for a few minutes I then took my Irish butter and cut it into small cubes. The butter was Kerry Gold Irish butter. I took a few patties and used them to coat the bottom of my cast iron skillet. I also used some semi soft butter cubes to fold right into the burger pattie. I got this idea from Paula Dean on the Food Network. If you have ever seen her then you would know her love of butter. She used to make butter burgers for her kids when they were little. I thought the ideas was crazy but when you put the butter cubes actually inside the burger then it melts and gives the burger a great flavor from the inside out. It also helps to keep the burger moist while it cooks. I placed the burger on the cast iron and let it cook in the Irish butter. After about 6 minutes I flipped the burger over and covered with my cheese. My choice of cheese was an imported Irish Cheddar called Dubliner. I took two thin slices and covered the burger and then I covered with a lid to really melt the cheese. When the burger cooked it released the beer into the pan. Then when I covered the burger with the lid it created a steam to help cook the burger thoroughly. What can be better for flavor than a beer and butter steam bath? Because of the liquids steaming the burgers you don't get a crust like you would when you cook on a dry pan or on a grill. You do get a very moist and flavorful burger with a consistent texture. My choice of bread was of course a potato roll which I sliced and covered with a horseradish mustard. I again salted and peppered the bun with the mustard spread. When the bacon was done I seasoned that with fresh cracked pepper as well. I have learned from Bobby Flay that the key to a good meal is to layer your seasonings. Every layer needs to be properly seasoned. I then placed the burger on the roll and then the bacon on top. My first impression of the burger was the flavor of the beer. It really made a huge difference. Secondly was the moist burger with a crunchy piece of Canadian bacon on top. Last was the horseradish mustard. It provided a great kick for the burger. I definitely plan to use it again on Wednesday when we are having corned beef and cabbage. I can't believe I only have one burger left. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them. I really do not know what I plan to make next week. I also plan to write a 30 week recap of all of the burgers on the week of my 30th birthday. So with two posts to go until this blog is officially done I am excited. Take care and don't forget to send in suggestions for my last burger.