Recipe - Salmon Burger on a Sweet Potato Bun

Being a young woman about town, I’m the first to admit (lament) that my social calendar is simultaneously up-in-the-air and busy as all get-out. Between work, yoga, band practice, shows I attend, shows I play, happy hour with my ladies, and all the random other things that come up throughout the week, life can tucker me right out. But there’s one thing I always make time for, particularly when the summer graces me with those precious extra hours of daylight, and that’s cooking.
 
Now, in addition to my ridiculously packed schedule, I happen to tiptoe the tightrope between good location and enough living space to spread out. That means my tiny apartment, while within walking distance of most things that might draw my attention, is cursed with a galley kitchen. Let me let that sink in: an avid cook like me, with a galley kitchen. Single basin sink, virtually no counter space, mini fridge with no freezer compartment, and a stove that competes with my 7 lb. cat for the distinction Tiniest Thing in My Apartment. For how much cooking I accomplish in it alone, not to mention the culinary delights I’ve been known to produce, I ought to be canonized.
 
As you might imagine, I don’t buy a lot of single-purpose cookware. I just don’t have the space for it. But my local hardware/everything store had a big tent sale last month, during which yours truly purchased a variety of much needed home accessories, including a spiralizer. Have you ever used a spiralizer? I hadn’t, but I kept seeing intriguing recipes involving zucchini noodles, so I thought, “why not?” Spiralizer it is, and it’s cheap enough that I won’t feel guilty if I hate it and have to toss it in the Goodwill box.
 
That spiralizer has changed my life. Best of all, it’s pretty small, and is remarkably like using an oversized pencil sharpener. My newfound culinary best friend has led me to embark upon a bazillion new cooking adventures—not least of which I give you below. Plus, it involves the grill! As some of my readers might know, grilling is like my favoritest thing evarrr.
 
P.S. No, you don’t need a spiralizer for this recipe. You could just as easily use a mandolin slicer, if you have zero desire for keeping your fingertips, or you could julienne the yam yourself.
 

Recipe inspired by paleOMG
 
Salmon Burger on a Sweet Potato Bun
 
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yields: one burger. Multiply ingredients accordingly per person.
 
Ingredients: Sweet Potato Buns

• 2 6-inch ramekins
• Parchment paper (wax paper is fine)
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and spiralized (technically a yam. But whatever, everyone calls them sweet potatoes these days.)
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 ½ tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large egg + 1 egg white

Ingredients: Burgers

• A grill.

You can do all the grilling steps on the stove or in the oven per your preference, but literally everything is better on the grill. You know I’m right.

• 1 ½ oz. salmon (or more, if you prefer)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 lime
• 1 piece of bacon (optional, but highly recommended)
• ½ one avocado
• 2 tsp. chopped cilantro (unless you’re one of those weirdos super nice folks who don’t care for cilantro)
• 1 slice of tomato
• 1-2 large pieces of kale
• 1 slice of onion

The Nitty Gritty:

1. Heat a large skillet on medium and add ½ tbsp. of olive oil. Drop the sweet potato noodles in and season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until noodles have softened. They’ll turn bright orange when they are cooked.
2. Place the lightly cooked noodles in a bowl, mix the eggs and pour them over the noodles. Stir to combine and coat thoroughly.
3. Take out your 6-inch ramekins. Place in enough noodles to pack the ramekin half-way full.
4. Place a piece of parchment paper over each ramekin and push in to cover the noodles. Take 2 cans of something heavy-ish (beans, tomatoes, whatever you’ve got lying around), press firmly down onto the noodles and leave them there. Let the two ramekins chill in the refrigerator, cans and all, for at least 15-20 minutes.
5. While the noodles are chilling, be sure to fire up your grill or preheat your oven as needed.
6. Now place a large skillet over medium heat and drop the bacon in. Cook to your desired crispiness and set aside, draining over paper towel.
7. Make the pseudo-guacamole (avocado/cilantro mash). Peel and pit the avocado and put half into a bowl with your cilantro and mash thoroughly until no chunks of avocado are left. Set aside Note: if you want to save the other half of the avocado for a later time, leave the pit in that half and put it in a small sealable sandwich bag or airtight container, then store in the fridge.
8. Once the noodles are done chilling, take them out of the fridge and remove the cans and parchment paper.
9. Place a large skillet over medium-low heat and add in the last of the olive oil. Very carefully, turn each ramekin over the skillet and gently tap the bottom until the packed noodles plop out in a patty. Cook (without moving, poking, lifting, or otherwise futzing with) each noodle “bun” for about 3-4 minutes, then flip over and cook an additional 2-3 minutes or until all noodles are compact. There should be a slight char on both sides.
10. While the bun is cooking, season your salmon with the lime, salt and pepper. Grill that bad boy for about 4-5 minutes, or until it is no longer pink in the center. Set aside when done.
11. Once the salmon is ready, throw your onion on the grill and cook for about 2 minutes. After 1 minute, throw the tomato slice on and grill for 1 minute. While the tomato is cooking, you can assemble your sandwich.
12. You know the drill. One bun on the bottom, then layer bottom-to-top with onion, salmon, the tomato, bacon, kale, pseudo-guac. Crown that beauty with the top bun and tuck a bib into your collar. You might need to secure the whole mess with a toothpick, or just eat it with a knife and fork like I do (because I’m a classy lady, that’s why. Pinkies up, gents.)

Seriously, I know it looks like a pretty involved recipe, but it barely takes any time at all. Just be sure to read through all the instructions before you get started, so you have a sense of the timing and what steps are next. (Yes, just like Mrs. Johnson told you in grade school.) I served these up last weekend with grilled corn on the cob, which, in my opinion, is the very best way to consume corn in the first place.
 
As usual, all recipes are customizable to your tastes. If you’re curious about substitutions, just tag me in a reply and I’ll do my best to get back to you. Give it a shot and let me know how you like it!
 
Brought to you by our resident copywriter and culinarian, Justine Kurtz