Parisian Burger

{originally published in 2014 and updated in 2021}

Ohh my goodness. This might have been one of my best burgers yet. Seriously. This burger itself packs some seriously sophisticated flavor with dijon and rosemary, and then the toppings just perfect it with truffle mayo & egg yolk. Peek down to the bottom for the award winning-ness of it. We ate it a bunch while I practiced and finally got around to updating the post.

The Three Bite Rule - Parisian Burger

Parisian Burgers with Truffle Mayo & Topped with an egg
Ingredients: (for 4 burgers)
1 pound ground pork
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1-2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dijon mustard
4 slices of swiss
4 rolls
4 eggs
3 tbs mayo
1 tsp truffle oil/truffle butter

Directions:
Preheat grill.
Mix together ground pork, rosemary, garlic, and mustard.

The Three Bite Rule - Parisian Burger

Gently form into patties sprinkling with salt & pepper on each side.

Grill until chicken is cooked through- at least 160 degrees. Top with cheese to melt.
Mix together mayo, truffle oil, salt & pepper.
Heat a skillet to medium high heat when the burgers are almost cooked.
Reduce pan to medium heat, and fry the eggs.
Cover the eggs with small pot lids to cook the white through, keeping the yolk intact, cooking for about 4 minutes.
Lay arugula onto the bottom bun, top with the burger, then add the fried egg, and spread truffle mayo onto the top bun.

Ooo la la. This was so good. The garlic and rosemary in the burger makes it really flavorful. I loooove peppery arugula. The yolk acts like a condiment. I almost did truffle ketchup which would also be good for some acidity. The decadence of this burger was not lost on us. Every flavor is rich, powerful, and spot-on.

The Three Bite Rule - Parisian Burger

This is one for the record books- speaking of….

I entered it into a burger competition – and won the regional division! It was hosted by a wine label to pair your burger with a wine. I thought maybe I could get some wine out of it.

The Three Bite Rule - Insta


That brought me to Napa Valley for the national final round: I didn’t win the $25K prize, but it was so fun and included a great wine pairing dinner the day before and the trip was awesome.

The Three Bite Rule - Build a Better Burger Finals

French Onion Soup Burger

We got our new fridge and no longer have to live out of a dorm-sized fridge so the sky’s the limit for meals! I made this French Onion Soup Burger just in time for Labor Day weekend. Caramelized onions and really good cheese made these special but quite easy.

The Three Bite Rule - French Onion Soup Burger

French Onion Soup Burgers
Ingredients: (for 4)

1/2 onion
1 tablespoon butter
~1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1/2 packet Onion Soup mix (uses for leftovers at the end!)
sprinkle of salt & pepper
gruyere or fontina or other melting cheese
onion rolls
arugula

Directions:
Caramelize the onions by slicing and sautéing over low heat with butter and a drizzle of olive oil for ~20-30 minutes until golden brown and soft. (I did a whole onion and froze the rest for another time. This can be done in advance up to a week in the fridge or 6+ months in the freezer)
Preheat the grill.
Mix together the ground pork with the soup mix, salt, and pepper. Slice the cheese and the rolls.

The Three Bite Rule - French Onion Soup Burger

Form the meat into patties and stuff with some cheese. Either divide each patty with half on the bottom some cheese and the remaining to cover the cheese OR ball the meat to form a well in the middle to add the cheese, then press the meat around it to cover the cheese.
Grill the burgers until cooked through (pork needs to get to 160-degrees on a meat thermometer). Add more cheese on top at the end to melt.
Assemble the burgers with onions on top of the burger and cheese, and arugula.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - French Onion Soup Burger

These were great! The patties were so flavorful and cheesy. The kids split a burger – one asked if there were any without onions, but ate it anyway. Next time I might even put more caramelized onions into the burgers too!

Leftover caramelized onions freeze well and I’m sure these will go into a quiche or onto a pizza or into a panini. They will also liven up even a turkey melt so I never bother to make just a tiny bit.

Leftover onion soup mix is great in any burger or meatloaf. Some sprinkled onto the outside of the patty would amp up the flavor even more. Use it into any other soup, like white bean, sausage & kale soup, or French Onion Deviled Eggs are so fun and only uses a bit too!

Waffle Breakfast Burger

For the 10th year of a Birthday Burger, we had this breakfast burger on a waffle with sausage mixed into the patty, a maple aoli, and some goey gouda cheese. Happy birthday my love!

The Three Bite Rule - Waffle Breakfast Burger

Waffle Breakfast Burger
Ingredients: (serves ~4 with a smaller burgers like sliders)
1 Belgian waffle
~3/4 pound ground beef/pork/chicken
~1/4 pound breakfast sausage
2 tablespoons mayo
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
4 slices gouda cheese
1 small sliced tomato

Directions:
Prepare waffle (optional: I added some shredded cheddar into the batter) and let it cool. Slice into 4ths, and sliced in half width-wise for 4 ‘buns’. (2 ‘buns’ pictured). Toast them before serving if they were made in advance.

The Three Bite Rule - Waffle Breakfast Burger

Mix together the ground meat and breakfast sausage until incorporated but not overworked. Preheat the grill.
Grill the burgers until cooked through (depends on the ground meat and the pork). Top with cheese.
While the burgers cook, whisk together the mayo, maple syrup and hot sauce.

The Three Bite Rule - Waffle Breakfast Burger

Assemble the burgers with a spread of sauce on the insides of the waffles (since I halved mine) and add the burgers and sliced tomato.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Waffle Breakfast Burger

These were so fun! I had ground pork with the breakfast sausage. I could definitely taste both flavors. Maple breakfast sausage might be very sweet but give it a go!

They would be so fun for a brunch. Using formed sausage patties on tiny waffles (with the cheese and tomato and sauce) would be a great finger food for a breakfast spread!

Adaptations:
Use frozen waffles (a standard one, like an Eggo waffle, would need a whole waffle as the top bun and a whole waffle as the bottom bun – those cannot be halved width-wise! They could be cut smaller to fit a slider-size burger too)
Swap any cheese!
Add a fried egg!
Use maple sausage!
Go for all the hot-sauce you’d like – for me, it was really to keep the sauce from being so so sweet.

The Historical Timeline of the Birthday Burgers:
2020 it was a BLT burger with ground bacon IN the burger and tomato jam
2019 it was a Manchego Burger with manchego, quince jam, and arugula
2018 it was a Garlic Lovers Burger with garlic butter, chips, garlic aoli and white cheddar.
2017 it was an Ultimate Mexican Burger with queso, guac, and beans.
2016 it was a Mac & Cheese Stuffed Burger topped with bacon, onions, and tomato.
2015 it was a Picnic Burger with slaw & potato sticks
2014 it was a German Burger with horseradish, caramelized onions, pickles and a pretzel roll
2013 it was a Vermont Burger with maple mayo, cheddar, bacon, and spinach
2012 it was a Bacon Wrapped Burger – enough said
2011 it was a Stuffed Burger stuffed with bacon & cheddar or bacon & blue cheese

Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes

Let’s chat comfort food. I’m glad fall is in the air and I’m ready for some foods to give us a little hug. I took the flavors of a burger into a speedy sloppy joe- the extra mustard and addition of relish and liquid smoke gives it all the burger flavors. I used meatless but any ground meat/meatless works!

The Three Bite Rule - Cheeseburger Sloppy Joe

Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes
Ingredients: (for 4)
3/4 pound ground meat (I used Gardein Meatless Crumbles)
4 burger rolls
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon relish
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
4 slices of American Cheese

Directions:
Add ground meat (cooked through if using beef/chicken/pork), brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, relish, and onion powder to a large skillet over medium-low heat. (I used meatless crumbles which can go into the pan frozen.)

The Three Bite Rule - Cheeseburger Sloppy Joe

Add in worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke (if using), and a splash of water.
Cook for 5 minutes until well incorporated and bubbling.
Toast the buns.
Spoon the sloppy joe onto each bun and quickly top with cheese to melt it.

The Three Bite Rule - Cheeseburger Sloppy Joe

Add some pickles and extra ketchup and mustard, if desired. Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Cheeseburger Sloppy Joe

I loved this! Sloppy Joes cook SO quickly and are easy to stretch meat a bit further than a patty might. These are a great way to use a meatless product too.
Mixing some shredded cheddar would be good too- though maybe not so photogenic. Liquid smoke is a fantastic addition to these, in chili, in burgers, and any sauce or spread that has bacon in it! I find it on amazon but may have seen it at the grocery store too.

Cape Codder Burgers

These burgers combine the cranberry and touch of lime flavor of a cape codder drink – minus the vodka. The burgers are ground pork or ground chicken would work well too with dried cranberries in them with a lime aoli. The more subtle ground meat flavor is perfect to let the cranberries and lime shine!
The Three Bite Rule - Cape Codder Burgers

Cape Codder Burgers

Ingredients: (for 4 burgers)

1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup mayo
1/2 lime (juice & zest)
1 pound ground pork
salt & pepper
4 burger buns
1 cup lettuce

Directions:

Drop the dried cranberries into some water – just enough to submerge for 20 minutes, or overnight.
Mix together the mayo, lime juice, zest, salt and pepper. Chill until serving or make ahead of time.
The Three Bite Rule - Cape Codder Burgers
Add the hydrated cranberries to the ground pork with salt and pepper. Mix well.
The Three Bite Rule - Cape Codder Burgers
Preheat the grill and form into patties.
The Three Bite Rule - Cape Codder Burgers
Grill the burgers, flipping once for about 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Pork should reach 160-degrees with a meat thermometer- take them off the grill around 150 and let them rest for 3-5 minutes while they finish cooking.
Serve on burger buns with lettuce and the lime aoli.
Enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Cape Codder Burgers
These were fun! I liked the cranberries in the burger instead of being a sauce. The kids ate them as-is. The little guy has taken to deconstructing burgers eating the patty and the bun separately. I never make turkey burgers – they end up so dry but that’s an option if you really like them. I think chicken and pork are much more juicy!