Sounds like a meal that would be inherently unhealthy, right? But guess what?! It’s not!
What I want to highlight in this recipe is this: QUALITY OF INGREDIENTS MATTERS. Can you eat fries that are healthy? Absolutely. And can you make a burger that’s nourishing and nutrient-dense? Heck yes you can! Here’s the deal:
Fries that you order at a restaurant are likely not organic and are most definitely fried in unhealthy, inflammatory oils. On the other hand - if you make fries at home with organic potatoes and roast them in the oven in a healthy oil like avocado or olive - this has a totally different effect on the cells in your body. The fries go from inflammatory to nourishing. And despite the white potato fear, they do have valuable nutrients.
Conventional beef is raised with antibiotics and growth hormones and fed a grain-based diet - which is not what cows are meant to be eating. Organically raised, grass-fed cows are allowed to roam a pasture and eat grass (what they’re meant to do) and are raised without antibiotics. The result is a totally different nutritional composition in the meat. For example, grass-fed beef has 5 times the omega-3s (an anti-inflammatory fatty acid) and contains a compound known as CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which is anti-inflammatory, boosts the immune system, supports fat burning and even strengthens bones! Grass-fed beef is also richer in vitamin A and vitamin E and tends to be richer in antioxidants (1).
I think it’s interesting to note that when I was younger (before I was vegan) I didn’t care for beef very much and often found that it hurt my stomach. After reintroducing meat into my diet after being vegan, I only ate grass-fed beef and woah - what a difference! It has never made my stomach hurt and has felt very nourishing.
In this recipe, I’ve forgone any sort of bun. While delicious, most buns are made with refined white flour and don’t offer a whole lot of nutrition. Instead I’ve opted to serve the beef over the fries and greens to make it more of a “bowl” situation with a nutrient-dense bottom.
Then of course you’ve got chopped onions (raw or grilled - your choice!), pickles, mustard, ketchup and any of your other favorite burger fixings! I’d recommend finding a ketchup with no sugar added or making some of your own at home for max health benefit. I recently made this fermented ketchup that turned out awesome (I skipped the honey).
Feel free to make this totally your own - you could add avocado, bacon or a fried egg to make it even more hearty!
It’s amazing that by just focusing on the quality of ingredients we can turn what sounds like an unhealthy meal into something totally nourishing and good for you!
Loaded Burger Fries
serves 4 / total time 45 minutes
ingredients
4 medium sized potatoes (russet or yukon gold), cut into fry shape
3 tbsp avocado or olive oil
1 pound grass-fed ground beef
1 onion, diced - raw or grilled
4 large handfuls of greens (I used butter lettuce)
toppings/condiments
ketchup
mustard
mayo
pickles
avocado
fried egg
directions
Preheat oven to 400. Toss potatoes in 2 tbsp of the oil and season with salt and pepper. I also love seasoning my fries with garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and my favorite/weirdest one - celery seed (just trust me). Feel free to use some of these or none at all. Divide fries onto two sheet pans. Place in oven for a total of 30-40 minutes, checking on them after 20 minutes and giving them a stir and switching their position on the racks.
While the fries are roasting, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil on a large skillet on the stove. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink, stirring every minute or so. It should take about 10 minutes.
If you’re serving your onions raw, skip this step. If you’re grilling your onions, then transfer beef to a bowl and set aside. In the same pan, cook onions for about 10 minutes until golden and translucent. Season with a little salt. If onions start sticking, add a splash of oil.
Push onions to one half of the pan and add beef to the other half, turn heat to low to keep warm until the fries are done.
Once the fries are golden and crispy, remove from oven. Get your serving bowls ready. Add a large handful of greens to each bowl and top with a quarter of the fries, a quarter of the beef, and a quarter of the onions.
Top with desired toppings/condiments and enjoy!
