Photo by Gina Moore
Serves 3
6 portabella mushrooms of equal size
Olive oil
1 pound ground beef
Kosher salt
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne or crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
3 slices cheese (your favorite)
Lettuce
Tomato slices
Pickle slices
Preheat oven to 400 F. Remove stems from mushrooms; brush each whole cap with olive oil. Place on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet, and bake, gill side up, 10 minutes; flip and cook an additional 10 minutes. Drain, gill side down, on a paper-towel-lined platter, and set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix ground beef, salt, paprika, cayenne and garlic powder. Divide into three patties. In a large skillet or on the grill, cook patties to desired doneness. Add cheese on top the last few minutes, and allow cheese to melt.
Build burgers by placing each patty on a portabella cap lined with lettuce, tomato and pickle slices. Top with remaining portabella caps. Serve with desired condiments.
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Recipe tip
Why use kosher salt?
Salt is not a spice or seasoning—it does not impart its own flavor to food. Rather, salt is a flavor enhancer, bringing out the natural flavor tendencies of a food.
Recipes often specify the use of kosher salt, as opposed to more familiar table salt. Chefs recommend it because it is easy to handle and works well for a variety of uses. It’s an affordable, healthy alternative to table salt and can be used in all phases of the cooking process—for pre-seasoning foods, for use during cooking or for adding a finishing element to a dish.
Table salt has a finer texture than kosher salt. Because kosher salt has a coarser texture, you don’t need to use as much of it when measuring into a recipe.
Table salt contains additives, which some cooks choose to avoid. Kosher salt and sea salt do not.
Sea salt, due to the way it is processed, is more expensive than table and kosher salt. It is typically used as a “finishing” salt—sprinkled on food dishes lightly just prior to serving, to enhance natural flavors.
If all you have on hand is table salt, feel free to substitute it in any recipe calling for kosher salt, being careful to adjust the amounts specified to account for different salt textures. Often, when salt is listed in a recipe, you may notice that no amount is specified—just “to taste.” It is more common to see specific salt amounts in baking recipes.