Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Burgers

By KrissyW330

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound thinly sliced pancetta
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound ground veal
• 1/2 pound ground beef chuck
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Two large bunches of broccoli rabe (about 2 1/2-pounds), large stems trimmed
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Freshly ground pepper
• 6 ounces Italian Fontina cheese, cut into 6 slices
• 6 kaiser rolls, split and lightly toasted

Details

Servings 6
Cooking time 35mins
Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

Lay the pancetta on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap and freeze until firm. Finely chop the pancetta, then transfer it to a food processor and pulse until minced.

In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, veal and beef with the minced pancetta. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of salt with the cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg. Sprinkle the spices over the meat and mix thoroughly but gently with your hands. Pat the meat into 6 burgers and refrigerate.

Light a grill. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the broccoli rabe until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain, lightly squeeze out any excess water and coarsely chop.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broccoli rabe and cook, stirring, until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

Season the burgers with pepper and grill over a hot fire until just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Melt the Fontina on the burgers about 1 minute before they are done. Spoon the broccoli rabe onto the bottom buns, then set the burgers on top. Close the sandwiches and serve at once.