Andouille & Beef Burgers w White Carrot Slaw + Beet & Citrus Salad

In the middle of making Andouille for the Jambalaya earlier this week, my sausage stuffer broke. I decided to postpone complete frustration, and pulled what Andouille I couldn't stuff into ziploc bags. It's rare to see andouille without a casing, and without being smoked. It's not rightfully andouille, really. But it makes a fine burger. With melted cheddar, plenty of ketchup, a sharp dijon, and the carrot slaw, we pretty much grunted our way through this meal. It. was. delicious. 

For the burgers:

1/2 lb. ground bulk andouille sausage

1/2 lb. ground beef 

Combine the sausage and beef in a bowl and mix well with your hands. When you're confident the two are equally distributed, form patties and refrigerate until you're ready to cook them.

For the carrot slaw:

2 C. grated white carrots

zest from 1 lime

1 small red onion, grated

plenty of black pepper and sea salt

1 whole eggs, at room temperature

1 egg yolk, at room temperature

1 t. dijon mustard

1-1/2  T. lemon juice

1 T. Whey (strained from yogurt overnight, or leftover from cheese making)

¾ C. sunflower oil

Combine the grated carrots, grated onion, and lime zest in a small bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate while you make the aioli.

Mix egg, yolk, mustard, lemon juice and whey in the bowl of a food processor. Process until well blended. Add the oil so slowly that you think you might collapse. No kidding. Drop. By. Drop. Salt to taste. 

Add the aioli by the spoonful to the carrot mixture, adding only as much as you need to achieve a slaw-like consistency. (You will have leftover aioli, which you can leave out to ferment overnight and then refrigerate. This will improve its consistency and longevity.) 

Taste slaw and add seasonings if desired. Serve on finished burgers

For the Beet & Citrus Salad:

2 large red beets

1 ruby red grapefruit

1 navel orange

3/4 C. chopped pecans

1-2 T. cultured butter

1/4 C. white wine vinegar

1/2 C. olive oil

2 T. honey

2 T. plain yogurt or kefir

salt and pepper

Wrap the beets in foil with a spare clove of garlic, and some rosemary. Roast at 400F until they are tender, then pull them from the oven and cool them until you can easily handle them. Peel off the skins and compost them. Slice the beets as you would an apple, into wedges. Refrigerate.

Peel the grapefruit and the orange, and segment them, removing all the pith and seeds. Add to bowl with beets but do not mix. Return to refrigerator.

Just before serving, make the dressing: Place vinegar, honey, oil, yogurt or kefir, and salt into a mason jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake vigorously until the oil is emulsified. Refrigerate.

Toast the pecans in the butter in a small cast iron skillet.

To serve, remove the beets and citrus from the fridge, give the vinaigrette another good shake, and then dump the dressing all over the beet mixture. Toss to coat, and combine the beets with the grapefruit and orange. Top with the buttered pecans and serve.