Burgers with Garlic-Black Pepper-Parmesan Sauce

Once again, I followed through on Rachael Ray's "What's For Dinner Tonight."  I am providing you all with the full recipe but you must know that I whipped this up rather last minute and didn't have time to roast the tomatoes and because I prepared the sauce from memory I forgot completely about the balmasic drizzle.  However, the garlic sauce turned out beautifully--much like an alfredo sauce.  Mmmm. :)  

2 vine-ripened tomatoes (for four burgers), sliced about 1/4-inch thick

4 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided

Salt and ground black pepper

2 pounds coarsely ground sirloin (or any ground meat of your choice. And I only use 1 lb for four burgers.  RR goes a little overboard in my opinion.)

3 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

4 Kaiser rolls, toasted

1 head red leaf romaine lettuce, shredded

8 to 10 leaves basil, thinly sliced, for garnish

1/4 cup balsamic drizzle

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

 

Arrange tomato slices on a screen set over a sheet pan and drizzle with about 2 tablespoons EVOO, some salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes until tender and caramelized, about an hour. Reserve.

 

When the tomatoes are ready, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. While the pan is heating up, combine the sirloin with some salt and pepper, and form into 4 patties. Cook the patties in the hot skillet until seared and cooked through, about 6 minutes per side.

While the patties are cooking, place a small pot over medium-high heat with the butter. Add the garlic to the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute. Add the flour to the pan and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk the milk into the butter-flour mixture and bring up to a bubble. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt, lots of pepper (about 1 teaspoon) and stir in the cheese. Reserve the sauce warm.

 

When the burgers are ready, assemble them by placing some lettuce on the bun bottoms and topping it with a burger patty, some Parmigiano sauce, a couple of roasted tomatoes, some basil and balsamic drizzle.

 P.S. check out the gorgeously ripe strawberries.  Oh, and the bun is the Honey Wheat Roll recipe.