Chorizo Burgers with Avocado and Fried Leek Rings.

It is somehow summer in Chicago in mid-March, and nothing says summer like grilling outside.  We got the idea for chorizo burgers from Conor’s mom, Adele.  We topped our burgers with a simple avocado spread and some fried leek rings.  The creamy avocado provides the perfect contrast to the crispy leeks and the chorizo makes any burger savory and moist.  Delicious.

Yum.

The burgers are fairly straightforward: simply mix your desired meat (ground beef, ground pork or ground turkey) with chorizo, form into patties, and salt and pepper each side.  Next whip up an avocado spread- I mashed an avocado with salt and a little lime juice.  (As an aside, I’ve seen “avocado mayo” at various restaurants and I do not see the point.  Avocado is naturally creamy and makes a delectable condiment all on its own.)

Now, onto the fried leeks:

Slice the leeks into quarter-inch discs and separate the layers, discarding the inner-most layers.

Conveniently smaller than onions, crispy leek rings make for the perfect bite-sized topping.

Next, set up your “dredging” stations– one bowl filled with flour and the other with a few beaten eggs.  Conor decided to add in some panko bread crumbs to the flour for added texture.

Dunk each leek ring into the egg mixture, then roll in the flour, and then repeat once more.

Meanwhile, set a small sauce pan filled with peanut or grape seed oil (they have higher smoke points than vegetable or canola oil, so they’re better for frying!) over medium-high heat.  Once the oil is warm, begin frying batches of rings until golden brown, only about a minute.

Take care not to overload the saucepan with leek rings, or they will get stuck together.

When the rings are sufficiently fried, set them onto paper towels to cool.  Top your burger and enjoy!  If you want to serve these as a side, rather than a burger topping, consider throwing together a spicy dipping sauce.  The leeks have a slightly softer flavor than onions and the smaller size makes them way easier to eat.  Cheers!  And thanks, Adele!

The perfect pretend-it-really-is-summer treat.