BEEF BURGER WITH BLUE CHEESE DRESSING & TOMATO BALSAMIC CONFIT

Keeping these burgers simple allows for the delicious sauces to shine. Both the tomato confit and blue cheese dressing can be made a few days ahead and will last well in the refrigerator for at least a week. When arriving home, form and fry the patties; the rest of the work has already been done!

BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

¼ cup (60 mL) favourite blue cheese, at room temperature

1 tbsp (15 mL) white wine vinegar ¼ cup (60 mL) mayonnaise Freshly ground black pepper

TOMATO CONFIT

2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil

1 tbsp (15 mL) tomato paste

1 can (796 mL) diced tomatoes with juices ¼ tsp (1 mL) salt

1 tbsp (15 mL) balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar

1½ lbs (750 g) lean ground beef Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil

4 onion or poppy seed buns, halved 1 cup (250 mL) arugula

1 To make blue cheese dressing, in a small bowl, mash together cheese and vinegar with a fork. Stir in mayonnaise and season to taste with freshly ground black pepper. Refrigerate until needed.

2 To make tomato confit, in a medium pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes while breaking up paste with a wooden spoon. Add tomatoes B:9.125” with juices, salt, vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

3 Remove lid and continue to cook and reduce if the mixture is not already thick. The amount of time will differ for each brand of tomatoes. The end result should be thick.

4 Remove from pot and refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.

5 Divide the beef into 4 equal portions. Without overworking the meat, form 4 patties equal to the diameter of the buns. Using your finger, make a small dent in the middle of each patty.

6 Season burger patties generously with salt and pepper.

7 In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Fry the burgers until browned on each side and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.

8 Place patties on buns and garnish with blue cheese dressing, tomato confit and arugula. Makes 4 burgers