roasted beet sliders with figs

Stop looking, this is it: the best beet burger you are going to find. Kids, hard-core carnivores and all other picky eaters love it. The secret ingredient? Figs.

 roasted beet sliders with figs

makes 8-10 sliders

• 2 cups of red beets (about 3-4 large beets), roasted and roughly chopped*

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped (about 1 small onion)

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 cup cannelini beans

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh figs

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 1/3 cup basil (can substitute parsley), chopped

• zest and juice of a lemon

• 1 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

• 1 egg

• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 10 slices of Fontina cheese

• Olive aioli (recipe below)

• Bibb lettuce

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onions, and saute until slightly golden, about 7 minutes. Add the walnuts and garlic and cook for another 4-5minutes,until fragrant. Then add garlic stirring frequently-don't burn it!  Add beans and figs, season lightly with salt and pepper, then set aside in a large bowl to cool for about 5 minutes.

Add the mixture to a food processor, as well as the beets, basil, lemon, breadcrumbs, egg and cheese. Pulse about 10 times, until the mixture is ground similar to ground beef.   Tightly form into 8-10 patties. If you'd rather make a main dish out of this- just make them a bit larger, you should end up with about 4-5 burgers. 

Heat the same skillet over medium heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. . Gently add the patties to the oil and sear on each side until crisp and browned, about 10 minutes a side. Melt fontina cheese on top during the last 2 minutes of cooking.

Place the patties on slider buns. Add lettuce leaves and a dollop a bit of Olive Aioli on top.

Olive Aioli

makes one cup

• one garlic clove, minced

• 1/3 cup oil-cured or Kalamata olives

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 cup mayonnaise

• pinch of salt

In a food processor, mix all ingredients except mayonnaise and pulse several times until finely chopped.  Add  mayonaisse and puree until the mixture is fairly smooth. 

Will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.

 

* Roasting beets

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

• Remove the tops and the roots of the beets and peel each one with a vegetable peeler. Cut the beets into 1 inch chunks.

• Place the cut beets on a baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once or twice with a spatula, until a fork or butter knife can slide easily into the beet.