Cajun Burgers & Homemade Fry Sauce

Memorial Day BBQ's here we come! I am a HUGE fan of a delicious homemade burger and a good ole' BBQ! I don't love ground beef in most dishes, but in a homemade burger, it doesn't get much better to me! The Stuffed Feta Burgers I posted about awhile ago were amazing, and these Cajun Burgers I created the other night were 'out of this world' good (just ask my husband)!!

I don't have an exact recipe for them because I was just throwing things in them, but hopefully with the following ratios you will be able to get the idea of how I made them.

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I used 1 lb. extra lean ground beef and 1 lb. ground turkey (I like to always use 1/2 beef and 1/2 turkey--it could be mental but it helps me feel healthier about the beef portion :)
To the meat I added about 2 t. Cajun Seasoning, 1 t. garlic powder (or you could use fresh garlic), 1/4 c. salsa, cayenne pepper (my husband likes things spicy), chopped cilantro (about 1-2 T.), 1/4 c. breadcrumbs or crushed crackers, 2 eggs, 1 T. lime juice, and 1-2 t. Montreal Steak Seasoning. I mixed it all together and formed the patties for grilling. We grilled the patties until they were nearly done and then added a thick slice of Pepper Jack Cheese on top of each burger and let it melt.

The second 'secret' weapon to these burgers is the Cajun Mayo that goes on them. I just mixed some mayonnaise (I only use Best Food's ALL fat--I know, horrible for me, but OH..so good!!), 1-2 t. Cajun seasoning, about 2 T. lime juice, 2-3 T. salsa, cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, chopped cilantro, 1 garlic clove (or powder), and dash of Tabasco or hot sauce. Just play around with the mixture until the mayo is spicy and creamy.

Put the burger together with a generous helping of the Cajun Mayo, the burger, tomatoes, lettuce, and grilled onions (just grill on the grill with some olive oil and salt & pepper).

The other day I was shopping with a friend and she put some Ore Ida Curly Fries in her cart and couldn't believe that I had never bought these for my kids. I must be too practical, like my mom was growing up, to buy such a 'fun' item. I decided to surprise my husband and kids with these fun curly fries and boy, were they extatic! The kids (not my husband--hehe!) sat around the oven door watching these curly fries bake. It was hilarious, you would have thought it was their birthday or something to have such a 'special' treat. Do you know what, they were actually really good (and easy!!) Baking them at 450 degrees made them crispy just like they are at Arby's. We made some homemade fry sauce it was the perfect side dish to our hamburgers.

Fry sauce you say? What is that? Well, for those of us in Utah it is a staple condiment when eating any type of french fry-MUCH better than ketchup!! Don't buy it from the store, just make up some of your own at home--it is super easy! Add equal parts ketchup to mayonnaise (once again, use the good stuff). Then add 1-3 T. of dill pickle relish (or chop up dill pickles), a little lemon juice or white vinegar, lots of pepper, and voila--homemade fry sauce. YUM!! Don't mock it until you give it a try :)

Happy Memorial Day!!

*If you try this recipe, feel free to rank it at the following link http://cookeatshare.com/recipes/spicy-cajun-burgers-427427 I am now a featured chef on Cook Eat Share and would love your feedback :)