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3.53 from 42 votes

The Cuban Frita Burger.

I will not lie, The Cuban Frita Burger is a little crazy, but the Cuban’s know how to do a burger right.
Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, cuban, south american
Servings: 6 BURGERS
Calories: 1101kcal

Ingredients

Secret Sauce

Burger

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound fresh ground chorizo or use links and remove the meat from the casing
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika
  • 3/4 teaspoon cumin
  • pinch of salt + pepper
  • 6 Cuban buns warmed (or your favorite buns)
  • 6 slices cheddar cheese
  • 6 fried eggs optional

Potatoes

Instructions

  • To make the secret sauce, combine the tomato paste, water, orange juice, Spanish paprika, cumin, brown sugar, vinegar, salt and sriracha in a small sauce pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
  • To make the fries, heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot to 350 degrees F.
  • Carefully cut the potatoes into shoestrings (or matchsticks) using a mandolin fitted with the narrowest julienne blade (about 1/8-inch wide) or just use your knife (this is what I did). Rinse the cut potatoes thoroughly in a bowl of cold water to remove the surface starch. Keep the potatoes in water until you're ready to fry. (I like to begin frying mine while the burgers are cooking)
  • To form the burger patties, combine the beef, chorizo, ketchup, Spanish paprika, cumin and a pinch salt and pepper in a bowl and mix until just combined. Form the meat into six patties.
  • Heat a large cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Cook the burger until your desired doneness, but traditionally Fritas should be cooked to medium. During the last minute of cooking, add a slice of cheddar cheese.
  • Meanwhile, fry the potatoes, transfer the potatoes to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and pat them dry, as dry as you can get them.
  • Fry the potatoes in batches until the potatoes are crisp and turn a nice golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. As each batch of fries comes out, transfer to a large mixing bowl and toss with salt to taste. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet.
  • Serve the burgers on warmed Cuban buns that have been slathered with a little special sauce. On to the bottom bun, place the burger, fries, more special sauce and top with a fried egg. Place the top bun over the egg, grab the burger with two hands and EAT!

Notes

*Secret sauce adapted from [Three Guys Miami | http://icuban.com/food/frita_cubana.html]

Nutrition

Calories: 1101kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 61g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 313mg | Sodium: 1059mg | Potassium: 1379mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1150IU | Vitamin C: 23.4mg | Calcium: 352mg | Iron: 7.1mg