Roasted Garlic Burger

A definite guy-pleasing burger. Mellow roasted garlic seasons the meat and the finished burger rests in a nest inside a "bun" of crusty bread. Quick to put together if you make the Roasted Garlic Paste ahead. The garlic recipe will leave you with extra for other uses. Prep and cook times include both garlic and burger recipes.

• Ready In: 1 hr 25 mins
• Serves: 2

Ingredients

• Roasted Garlic Paste

• 1  lb garlic head
• 1⁄2 cup olive oil
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper

• Burgers

• 1  lb  ground chuck
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 3  tablespoons  roasted garlic paste
• 1  loaf  good  crusty bread, cut into 2 sections just big enough to surround the burger with a 1/2 inch border

Directions

1. Roasted Garlic Paste: Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Remove any loose papery skins from the outside of the garlic heads; cut off the top 1/3 of the heads to open the cloves; set aside for another use; place the heads in a small baking dish, cut sides up; pour olive oil over them and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Cover the dish tightly and bake until 3/4 done, about 45 minutes; uncover and continue to bake another 15 minutes or until the cloves begin to pop out of their skins and brown; cool.
4. Squeeze the cloves out of their skins into a bowl; add the oil from the baking dish and mix well, forming a paste.
5. Store, refrigerated, up to one week.
6. Burgers: Mix the hamburger, salt, pepper and garlic; form 2 burgers, 3" thick, to a size that will fit inside the bread with a 1/2" border all the way around.
7. Split the 2 bread sections and pull out some of the soft center from both sides to make a nest for the burger; toast the cut sides under the broiler or on a grill.
8. Broil or grill burgers to desired doneness; place in bread nest and add condiments of choice.