Caesar Salad Burger

How about putting your salad ON the burger?  I'm always trying to come up with new ideas for burgers and/or toppings.  The absolutely delicious Caesar Salad dressing I made a night or two ago? I knew then it would be a perfect burger topping and yes, oh yes, yes, it was!

If you missed the dressing recipe, here it is:

1/3 cup mayonnaise (I use Duke's)

2 T. fresh lemon juice

2 - 3 cloves of garlic rough chopped (if you don't mind garlic breath, add more!)

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 - 1/2 t. freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 - 3/4 cup olive oil (use less for a dip, more for a salad dressing)

Add the first six ingredients to a bowl of a food processor or blender and blend until the garlic is minced and everything is combined.

Turn the blender or food processor to low and, while running, slowly add the olive oil to the mixture.  This will allow the dressing to emulsify or thicken.

Taste and add any additional salt or pepper if needed.

So here's what I did to make the burgers:

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck 70/30 blend, divided into four patties, sprinkled with salt and pepper

Grill or pan fry burgers until your desired level of done-ness.

Spread a thin layer of butter on the buns and place them on the grill for just a few minutes.  This will mimic the flavor of Caesar Salad croutons.  Get it?  You know where we're going here.

I put a little Dijon mustard on the bottom bun, placed the burger, topped with a little of the dressing, padded a few leaves of Romaine lettuce and then a tad more dressing, a few more grates of Parmesan cheese and several grinds of black pepper.

It was amazing.  Try one.  You'll see.