A taste of the West: tomatillos make the difference - includes recipe

Sunset, August, 1996 by Jerry Anne Di Vecchio

At least once a month, our household - including any guests - walks down to the Balboa Cafe for the best burger in San Francisco. The meat, cooked exactly to order, goes onto crusty bread or a soft bun. Although other accoutrements are available, I ask only for mild onions and lettuce. On delivery, I add Dijon mustard and Pickapeppa sauce - it has the tang of tamarinds.

With such perfection only steps away, I've been forced to add special touches to home-cooked hamburgers. And I've borrowed Balboa's straightforward approach to do so. The meat is unseasoned, the bread is crusty, and the extras are lively and fresh. My current favorite burger topping is a raw relish of tart tomatillos and onions in a citrus dressing.

And as a bread fancier, I make use of different kinds. The only trick is to shape the meat to the bread.

The House Burger

Prep and cook time: 20 to 25 minutes

Notes: If the relish stands more than a couple of hours, the tomatillos lose their fresh taste. To nest meat securely in loaf, pull out enough soft bread to make a long hollow that is about 1/2 inch deep.

Makes: 6 servings

About 1/4 pound tomatillos

1 mild red onion (8 to 10 oz.), thinly sliced

3/4 cup orange juice

2/3 cup lime juice

1 teaspoon hot chili flakes

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

About 1/4 teaspoon salt

2 pounds ground very lean beef

1 long loaf (1 lb.) sourdough or French bread, cut in half horizontally

Lettuce leaves

Dijon mustard

Pepper

1. Pull off and discard husks from tomatillos. Rinse and thinly slice tomatillos.

2. In a bowl, mix tomatillo slices, onion slices, orange and lime juices, chili, cilantro, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

3. Shape ground beef into a rectangle as long as the loaf of bread and slightly wider. Cut meat crosswise into 6 equal patties.

4. Cook patties on a grill 4 to 6 inches above a solid bed of hot coals or over high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds). Close lid on gas grill. Turn meat once, as it browns. Allow 6 to 8 minutes total for rare, 12 to 14 minutes total for well done.

5. When meat is almost done, toast cut sides of bread on grill, 1 to 2 minutes. Set patties onto the toasted loaf bottom. Press top half of bread gently down onto meat.

6. To divide bread into 6 portions, cut across loaf in between the patties. Drain juice from tomatillo relish and save, then spoon relish onto meat, adding lettuce, mustard, salt and pepper, and reserved tomatillo relish juice to taste.

Per serving: 508 cal., 32% (162 cal.) from fat; 39 g protein; 18 g fat (6.5 g sat.); 49 g carbo.; 669 mg sodium; 94 mg chol.