This Italian-inspired burger is made with a classic polpette mix and served with spicy mayo. Offered as a meal on its own, this goodfella calls for large, oversized buns. Packed with flavour and always juicy, even when cooked until well-done, this bad boy is a trustworthy secret weapon for your grill parties.

Ingredients

•  1/4 cup Bomba Calabrese (spicy Calabrian pepper spread), optional
•  1/4 cup mayonnaise
•  4 slices of scamorza cheese
•  4-6 hamburger buns, toasted
• 20 g butter
• 100 g sundried tomatoes, finely sliced
• 2 ripe tomatoes, cut in rounds
• 250 g button mushrooms, finely sliced
• 1 1/2 onion (1 finely sliced and 1/2 finely minced)
• 2 pieces white sandwich bread, crusts removed, cut into small pieces (or 100 g dry breadcrumbs)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 500 g 85% lean ground beef
• 250 g 85% lean pork
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Salt or garlic salt, to taste
• Steak spice, to taste (optional)

Instructions

• In a small bowl, combine the Bomba Calabrese with mayonnaise and mix well.
• Preheat a grill pan. Sauté mushrooms with onion slices. Set aside once nicely coloured and caramelized.
• Preheat the grill to high heat.
• In a large bowl, mash the bread (or breadcrumbs) and milk together with a fork until it forms a chunky paste.
• Break the meat up with your hands and add the egg and minced onion. Season with garlic salt, pepper and steak spice to taste. Mix everything together until just combined. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form balls. Flatten the balls into 2 cm patties about 10-12 cm across.
• Oil the grilling grates. Grill the burgers, covered, until nicely browned on the first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip burgers and continue cooking. Top the patties with scamorza slices until the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes longer or until desired doneness is reached.
• While the meat is cooking, toast the buns on the cooler side of the grill or in the oven, adding a little butter inside and on top of the buns.
• Spread the spicy mayo inside both halves of the buns. Top with meat patties and add the sautéed mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and fresh tomatoes before serving.