Chef Joel & Jenn: Italian Burgers with Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato-Corn Salad
We've now reached the end of our trial run with Plated. It didn't go well. Nothing we made was as good as the pictures made them look. Our biggest issue was how much prep work was involved with each meal. If we have to spend an hour prepping after working for 8-10 hours I'd much rather just order take-out. It was a good run but not necessarily what Jenn and I were hoping for. The good news though is that our final meal with Plated was also our favorite.
Probably not surprising but our favorite meal ended up being an hamburger. To be exact its the Italian Burgers with Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato-Corn Salad. Luckily there wasn't as much prep work but there was still a good half hour of prep. There were a number of things to chop up and prepare before any cooking began. One thing I will take away from this recipe and make in the future is the burger itself. I've never had this type of burger before. Putting fresh oregano, basil, garlic, parsley, and cheese within the burger patty was fantastic.
I absolutely loved the meal. As you might have guessed Jenn was not a fan of the Tomato-Corn Salad, although I'm proud to say she did try it. From my perspective the Tomato-Corn Salad was good but a little boring. The star of the show though was the burger, it was fantastic. Incredibly juicy, full of great flavor, and well cooked (if I don't say so myself). The other nice piece of the burger was the delicious Ciabatta buns. Knowing in advance the salad probably wouldn't be Jenn's favorite I made some frozen Trader Joes fries which are always fantastic.
All in all this was easily the best Plated meal we had. It was a hamburger though so its not like it's something we haven't cooked before. And so we have cancelled our Plated subscription and are looking forward to trying other services when we get back from our trip.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 sprigs oregano
- 1 clove garlic ¼ bunch basil
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, divided
- 2 tomatoes, divided
- 1 ear corn
- 10 ounces ground beef
- 1 packet Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons grated pecorino cheese
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 ciabatta buns
DIRECTIONS
- Rinse all produce. Roughly chop parsley and oregano, discarding stems. Mince garlic. Roughly chop basil leaves, discarding stems. Halve mozzarella; cut ½ into 2 even slices and roughly chop remainder. Thinly slice 1 tomato and roughly chop remainder. Shuck corn, discarding husks and silk. Slice off kernels into a medium bowl, discarding cob.
- Preheat grill or grill pan to medium high. Pat beef dry with paper towel and transfer to a large bowl. Add mustard, pecorino, parsley, oregano, garlic, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and pepper. Using your hands, mix well. Divide mixture evenly and form into 2 patties, about 1- inch thick, then create a dimple on top of each with your thumb (see Recipe Tip).
- Brush grill with ½ tablespoon olive oil. When grill is just smoking, add burgers and grill until charred on outside and medium rare, about 3-4 minutes per side. Top with sliced mozzarella, cover with grill lid or a large piece of foil, and continue grilling until cheese is melted, about 1 minute more. Remove and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
- While burgers grill, whisk together balsamic vinegar, basil, and ½ tablespoon olive oil in a medium bowl.
- Add corn, chopped mozzarella, and chopped tomatoes to bowl with dressing and toss to combine. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Halve buns lengthwise and add cut-side down to grill or grill pan. Toast until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Divide bun bottoms evenly between 2 plates. Add burgers, then sliced tomatoes. Finish with bun tops and serve with salad alongside.
