Recipes for when your cup runneth over with burger buns and avocados
Sandwiches really are a revelation. And Kewpie mayo.
Hello, chefs.
I don’t know about y’all, but if I were to map my levels of inspiration, a general zest for life if you will, across the months of any given year, February seems like it would be a notable low—statistically.
We’re out of resolution season, far away (at least it feels) from the trees growing their leaves back and the natural world coming alive again, and frankly, what are we even eating? What is even in season in February? It’s too early for spring greens, too late for fall harvest. Canned foods? Take out?
Our parents get this. My mom is in Arizona for the month and my (soon to be) MIL is in New Zealand. We should learn from them. If you’re feeling like February is especially Februarying this year, you are correct and everyone agrees.
I think a non-negligible contributing factor to The Februaries, for me, is a general directionless feeling. It’s hard to feel a sense of accomplishment or closure when work blends into life during these shorter days, and that makes me anxious. Everything is important and nothing is important.
Writing down a highlight in the morning—imagining what I’d want the highlight of my day to be and noting it—has helped. Lenny had the authors of Make Time on the podcast this week, and this is the thing they recommend if you feel like you have no time for the things that are most important. It’s a small thing but eventually ads up to a big thing.
Anyway, I bought burger buns and avocados last week to cheer me up. It just feels like July to have those sitting on the counter, right? Give it a go. Make a sandwich and try writing down your highlight in the morning this week—that’s my prescription for The Februaries.
-Faith
p.s. For an easy way to save and store the recipes I share every week, save this Notion page. Use the magnifying glass to search.
Smashed Avocado Chicken Burgers
Many thanks to Yasmin Fahr for this reminder that a girl can enjoy a burger any time, even in the dead of February. Also for making me realize that Kewpie mayo is not a luxury food—it is in fact plentiful at the Inglewood Kroger and Costco! Put that Kewpie on your list, girl!
I’d make this with that crunchy cabbage salad from the 90s—you know the one—and if you don’t, here’s a good version, but add some shelled sunflower seeds to the crunchy mixture.
Make your sauce
1/3 cup kewpie mayo, 1 tsp soy sauce, the juice of half a lime
Make your burgers
Combine 1/4 cup avocado (no more than that!), one bunch of chopped cilantro, one bunch of chopped scallions, a few spoonfuls of minced garlic, a squeeze of minced ginger, a tablespoon of your seasoned mayo, and salt/pepper/red pepper flakes to taste. Add a pound of ground chicken and combine. Form 4 large balls and place on a plate.
Cook the burgers
Heat a cast iron over medium (you want it super toasty before you put the burgers down). Add a splash of neutral oil, then your burgers. Press them down into patties and cook for ~4 minutes or until they’re nice and crispy crunchy on the bottom and you can see the opaqueness has traveled up the sides about half way. Flip them and cook until done.
Assemble!
Burger bun + patty + sliced avo + sliced jalepeño (don’t skip that part) your seasoned mayo
Chili Crisp Egg Sandwiches
I grew up in a bagel household; if we were making a breakfast sandwich, it was on a bagel (or salt rising bread, of course). It wasn’t until I moved to the South that I realized that people were putting breakfast on a regular degular bun and trying to pass it off as a breakfast sandwich. It seemed like a travesty, but here I am a decade later ready to admit that they do have a point. What else are you going to do with those leftover buns?
Naturally, this is breakfast, but you could make it dinner with a side of crispy potatoes, vinegary sautéed greens, or (you know, my go-to) a cucumber avocado salad.
Put your buns in the toaster. This is important, the bread is the crunchy part of this sandwich, and I realize that many southern homes don’t have toasters (?!), so if you must you can brush the cut side with oil, put it cut side up on a cookie sheet, and carefully broil until crispy on top.
***IF YOU WANT TO TAKE THIS TO THE NEXT LEVEL and are toasting in a toaster oven or under the broiler, try spreading the bun with Kewpie mayo first. If you’re a cheese girl, you could also sprinkle with shredded cheese and melt, then toast it face down in a skillet until the cheese crisps up. TL;DR, make that btch crispy.
Make your eggs: this is dealer’s choice, but if I’m making these, we’re going hot and fast scramble. Scramble your eggs in a bowl and splash a tiny bit of oil in there with them. Heat a cast iron until SMOKIN hot, then add a tablespoon or two of oil to the pan. When the oil is shimmering, be sure you have a rubber spatula in hand, pour your eggs into the pan, and turn off the heat. They’ll sizzle and puff up quickly, and as they do, use your rubber spatula to push them around. You’ll get a diner-style sheet of ripply scrambled eggs. Remove from the pan onto a plate or cutting board so you can assemble your sandwiches.
Assemble! Mash up some avocado and spread on your bun. Sprinkle with salt and add a spoonful or two of chili crisp. Add your egg, season with more salt, and top off with the other side of the bun. You can always zest this up a bit with some bacon or lox!