Everything a burger carries goes into a bowl instead of a bun: lettuce underneath, beef and potatoes on top, then pickles, tomato, raw onion and a thick orange sauce over all of it.
The potatoes roast for the whole half hour while the beef browns in a skillet, so both are hot when the bowls are built.
How to Make It
Potatoes roasted
Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss the potatoes with the olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and roast 25 to 30 minutes, until golden.
Beef browned to 160°F
Cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat with the garlic powder, remaining salt and pepper, breaking it into browned crumbles, until it reaches 160°F.
Burger sauce whisked
Whisk the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and pickle brine into a thick burger sauce.
Bowls built
Divide the lettuce among four bowls and top with the roasted potatoes, ground beef, tomatoes, pickles and red onion.
Sauced and served
Drizzle generously with the burger sauce and serve immediately.
Oven and Skillet, Side by Side
The potatoes and beef cook at the same time; the sauce is whisked while they do.
Oven
- Start
Quartered potatoes tossed in oil, salt and pepper at 425°F.
- 25 to 30 minutes
Golden and crisp at the edges.
Skillet
- Start
Ground beef browned with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- At 160°F
Off the heat, ready for the bowls.
Into four bowls
Lettuce first, then potatoes and beef, then tomato, pickles, onion and the burger sauce.
Ingredient Notes
- Baby potatoes
- A pound, quartered so the cut faces crisp in the oven.
- Burger sauce
- Half a cup of mayonnaise with ketchup, yellow mustard and a tablespoon of pickle brine.
- Salt and pepper, divided
- Half seasons the potatoes and half goes into the beef.
Why This Recipe Works
- Roasting the potatoes at 425°F gives the crisp element a bun would normally provide.
- Browning the beef as crumbles means every forkful gets meat without cutting a patty.
- Pickle brine in the sauce echoes the pickles in the bowl and keeps it sharp.
- Building on a lettuce base keeps the hot elements from wilting everything at once.
Success Tips
- Spread the potato quarters cut-side down with space between them so they roast rather than steam.
- Break the beef up early and often in the skillet; large clumps stay pale in the middle.
- Add the sauce at the table if the bowls will wait even a few minutes, so the lettuce stays crisp.
Serving Ideas
Serve each bowl with extra pickles on the side and the sauce spooned over just before eating.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Keep the beef, potatoes, salad components and sauce in separate containers in the refrigerator and rebuild the bowls when reheated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the beef a smashed patty?
No. The beef is browned into crumbles, which is what the photographed bowl shows.
Are the potatoes part of the bowl?
Yes. A pound of roasted baby potatoes goes in with the beef.
