There is nothing wrong with a straightforward cheeseburger; in fact, it’s one of the classic Americana foods we crave most often. But there are so many other ways to approach burgers, that it would be a shame to limit yourself to the most basic (albeit delicious) of dressings. A burger can be an amazing canvas to paint on with flavors from around the world. For example, if you love a bacon cheeseburger, try a Tex-Mex inspired pepperjack stuffed burger — so succulent and delicious you might never go back to putting cheese on top — with a swipe of poblano pepper-spiked cream cheese and some thick-sliced bacon. Or, lighten up a bit with a tandoori chicken burger, stuffed into a pita with cucumbers and red onion slices and topped with a cooling yogurt sauce. Turkey, apple and cheddar are a tried-and-true flavor combination, and work perfectly together in burger form, with turkey patties topped with cheddar and a creamy apple cabbage slaw.
Whichever variation you decide to try first, use locally sourced meat to make your burger patties. For beef, we like the grass-finished patties from Swiss Villa Farm (Wrightsville, PA) and grass-fed, grass-finished beef from PittsBurgher Highland Farm in Pittsburgh. If you’re not sure where to start, a good local butcher shop, like Primal Supply in Philadelphia or Rooster Street in Lancaster Central Market should be able to point you in the right direction. There’s plenty of high-quality PA chicken from Bell & Evans, and from smaller farmers like Apple Ridge Farm (Saylorsburg) and Common Ground Farm (Spring Mills). For ground turkey, Freedom Acres (Honey Brook) and Over the Moon Farm (Rebersburg) are great places to support.
Ready for some epic Pennsylvania burger action? Check out our video, then head to Savor Recipes to find the full recipes!
- Photo and video: Dish Works for Savor Recipes
