Dish with Russian Hamburger and Peas
(click to enlarge)

Russian Hamburgers


Russia   -   Bitki
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 6
**
2 hrs
Yes		 These delectable burgers are never served in buns. The patties are fried somewhat rare and served garnished with Petit Pois. In Russia, that means Canned Peas, but we can do better.

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1
8
6
1
1
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1
1
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2/3
1
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#
oz

t
t
---
T
T
---
c
T
-- Patties
Beef, ground (1)
Beets
Scallions
Salt
Caraway Seeds
------------
Butter
Oil
-- Garnish
Peas, tiny new (2)
Butter.

Each fried patty weighs about 3-1/4 ounces.

Prep   -   (30 min + 45 minutes to boil beets)
  1. IF you grind your own BEEF, be sure it is very cold going into the grinder.
  2. Boil BEETS until cooked through and a sharp skewer passes through the center without hitting a hard spot. Drain, chill enough to handle in cold water and rub off the skin. Chop fine.
  3. Chop SCALLIONS fine, the white and about half the green.
  4. Mix all Patties items until well distributed. Form into 6 oval patties.
Run   -   (10 min + 8 min per pair of patties)
  1. For Garnish, In a small saucepan, melt 1 T butter and briefly fry the Peas, until they taste good. Keep warm.
  2. In an iron skillet, melt Butter and stir in Oil. Bring up to a moderate frying temperature, (around 325°F/165°C - you've got butter in there).
  3. Fry patties somewhat rare. Holding the temperature between 290°F/145°C and 325°F/165°C (yes, I use an infrared thermometer) fry 4 minutes on one side, then 4 minutes on the other.
  4. Serve hot, garnished with Peas
NOTES:

  1. Beef, ground:

      The pattern recipe calls for ground Top Round, but that seems way too lean to me - maybe they just didn't have decent beef in Moscow when the recipe was written. What I used for the photo example was 2/3 70% ground beef and 1/3 moderately fatty pork, and it was Delicious! Why did I use that exact mix? Because that's what I had left over from another project.

  2. Petit Pois:

      [Small New Peas]   In Russia, "Peas" usually means "Canned Peas". I use regular frozen peas for better color and flavor. but you may be able to find frozen petit pois.
  3. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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