Though perfect for your Memorial Day or Fourth of July fête, this burger is tasty all year ‘round – and colorful, too! The red refers to the roasted red peppers and sundried tomatoes mixed into the meat; the white to the homemade garlic mayonnaise on top; and the blue to the surprise center of creamy blue cheese. Note: I originally developed this recipe for a promotional shoot for a slick new Hamilton Beach gas grill.

Thank you to Stephen Kennedy for the use of his photos.

Yield: About 8 large (6-ounce) burgers

Prep Talk: Make the Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise first, so it’s ready for mixing into the burgers.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground beef (I’m partial to Three Spring Farms’ grassfed beef!)
• 3/4 pound (12 ounces) ground pork
• Scant 3/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1/3 cup ground sundried tomatoes (Note: grind to a paste using a food processor)
• 1/4 cup Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise (see below, or substitute regular mayo)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup Italian-style dried breadcrumbs
• About 1/4 ounce fresh thyme leaves, or to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• About 3 ounces triple-cream (soft) blue cheese
• Additional roasted red peppers and Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise, for garnish

Method:

1 | Blend the first six ingredients (through the mayonnaise) using a spoon or your hands. Mix just until the veggies and mayonnaise are evenly distributed.

2 | Whisk together the heavy cream and egg in a small bowl; then stir in the breadcrumbs to soften them.

3 | Add the breadcrumb mixture to the meat, along with the thyme leaves, salt, and ground pepper to taste. (To test your seasoning: grill a small portion of the meat, sample, and adjust the herbs and spices as needed.)

4 | For each patty, shape about 6 ounces meat mixture around 1/3 ounce (scant tablespoon) triple-cream blue cheese; then grill the burgers to the desired degree of doneness.

5 | Top each burger with more roasted red peppers and a dollop of Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise, as desired.