Sausage Burger with Broccoli Rabe

Homemade sausage, broccoli rabe and Fontina cheese-are great on pasta, but they make even better burgers.

½ lb pancetta, thinly sliced
1 lb ground pork
½ lb ground veal
½ lb ground beef chuck
sea salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated
2 large bunches of broccoli rabe (about 2½ lbs), large stems trimmed
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
¾ tsp. crushed red pepper
black pepper, freshly ground
6 oz Italian Fontina cheese, cut into 6 slices
6 kaiser rolls, split and lightly toasted

Lay the pancetta on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap and freeze until firm. Finely chop the pancetta, then transfer it to a food processor and pulse until minced.

In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, veal and beef with the minced pancetta. In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp. salt with the cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg. Sprinkle the spices over the meat and mix thoroughly but gently with your hands. Pat the meat into 6 burgers and refrigerate.

Light a grill. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the broccoli rabe until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain, lightly squeeze out any excess water and coarsely chop.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broccoli rabe and cook, stirring, until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

Season the burgers with pepper and grill over a hot fire until just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Melt the Fontina on the burgers about 1 minute before they are done. Spoon the broccoli rabe onto the bottom buns, then set the burgers on top. Close the sandwiches and serve at once.

Makes 6 servings.

Make Ahead: The uncooked burgers can be refrigerated overnight.