I hope y’all enjoyed a lovely Father’s Day weekend celebrating all the father figures in your lives! This weekend was actually a holiday double-whammy because not only did we celebrate Father’s Day, but also the summer solstice, so summer is officially on! I don’t know about you, but an incredibly nostalgic feeling hits me every time summer finally rolls back around… I just can’t stop thinking about burgers…

I have fond memories of my dad brushing off the little grill in the backyard every summer before he’d cook up some of the most delicious cheeseburgers ever for me and my siblings. While he worked his magic that seemingly only a dad can, we ran around the yard climbing trees, throwing a ball for the dog and, as soon as dusk set in, catching fireflies in Mason jars. To this day, the smell of a charcoal grill is one of my favorite, most nostalgic smell memories. Sadly, my downtown apartment doesn’t have a backyard to put a grill in, but I decided that between the official onset of summer and the occasion to honor my own dad, I needed to make burgers happen one way or another.

One of my husband’s and my favorite styles of burger is the iconic quesadilla burger from Applebee’s. He and I actually met while waiting tables at Harvey’s back in the day, and it was kind of a tradition for the servers to take advantage of Applebee’s late-night specials after a dinner shift. So, inspired by memories linked to the men in my life, I decided to use my trusty cast-iron skillet to make these tortilla smash burgers.

It was surprisingly easy to achieve a really delicious char on these smash burgers without using a grill since the beef is smashed thinly into the tortillas, which preserved the iconic burger flavor profile without the open flame. To spice them up a bit, I decided to whip up a legally distinct Big Mac-style sauce. Super easy to make and so delicious, I made it slightly healthier by substituting Greek yogurt for mayonnaise and couldn’t tell the difference! The last step was to melt some sharp cheddar onto the burgers and then pile the tortillas high with that yummy sauce, dill pickles, fresh tomato, lettuce and red onion. As a side, I roasted up some simple potato wedges with olive oil, sea salt and pepper, and Jon and I were able to enjoy a delicious, nostalgic meal to kick off the start of the summer season.

There’s something undeniably magical about summer in the South – sure, we may have to fight an endless onslaught of mosquitoes and survive sweltering, 100-plus-degree temperatures, but nowhere else offers summer sunsets as red as ours, not to mention the twinkling fireflies in our backyards, the warm breeze on an evening walk or the undeniably delicious smell of food being grilled (likely by a beloved father) that never ceases to take me back to my roots. I hope you all enjoy a beautiful summer filled with fun, good food and lifelong memories.

TORTILLA SMASH BURGERS

Ingredients:
4 (10-inch) tortillas
1 pound ground beef
Sharp cheddar cheese, cut into thin strips
Butter lettuce, chopped
Heirloom tomato, diced
Red onion, cut into thin strips
Dill pickle chips
Salt and pepper

Homemade “Big Mac” sauce:
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons dill pickle relish
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon ketchup
Dash of cayenne
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:
■ Heat a cast-iron skillet to medium-high heat.
■ Divide 1 pound of ground beef into four pieces, about 1/4 pound each. Press each beef portion firmly onto four tortillas, forming a thin, even layer that goes almost to the edge of each tortilla. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
■ When the skillet is hot, place one tortilla at a time beef-side down and cook. Press down firmly with the back of a spatula every minute or two. It should take 3 to 4 minutes to cook.
■ Once the beef is cooked and nicely browned, flip the tortilla to crisp up the other side. Add a few slices of cheddar on top of the cooked beef and cover the pan with a lid for 1 to 2 minutes until the cheese is melted. Transfer the tortilla to a paper towel-lined plate to cool while you repeat with the remaining tortillas.
■ Once all burgers are done, dress them with sauce, pickles, lettuce, tomato and red onion, then fold in half like a taco and enjoy.

Kristin is a Columbus local and a graduate of MUW’s Culinary Arts Program. She lives downtown with her husband Jon and her naughty cat Sokka. In her free time she enjoys baking, making stained glass art and hanging out with her friends. If you see her in town, say hi!

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