Smash Burger (Tuscany)

Mine are certainly not quite the same, but with fresh herbs, a garlic mayo and taleggio cheese, these Tuscan Pork Smash Burgers have those same wonderful flavours as the ones from Tenuta Astrone. Taleggio can be tricky to find, so you can definitely use a different cheese in its place - brie or camembert have a similar flavour and texture and fontina would also be delicious.

Garlic Mayonnaise:
½ cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or microplaned
½ tsp. sea salt

Burger Patties:
1 lb ground pork
2 Tbsp. fresh chives, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 oz fresh Taleggio cheese, divided into 4 even slices

Assembly:
argula or lettuce

For the Garlic Mayonnaise:
To a bowl, add the mayonnaise, fresh rosemary leaves and clove of minced or microplaned garlic. Add ½ tsp. salt, to taste. Cover and set aside to let the flavours marry.

For the Burgers:
In a medium-large bowl, mix the fresh herbs into the ground pork. Form the beef into 4 even ball-shaped portions, about 4 oz each. Sprinkle them evenly on all sides with the salt.

Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium-high until hot, about 2 minutes. Add the olive oil to the pan. Working in batches if necessary to not over-crowd the pan, place the portions on the griddle. With a spatula, immediately smash the burgers down flat. Cook undisturbed for about 3-4 minutes, or until the outer edges of the patties look a deep golden brown. Flip the patties and top each with a slice of taleggio cheese (or your cheese of choice). Continue to cook for 3 minutes longer, until the cheese is beginning to melt and the other side of the patties are golden brown.

Transfer the burgers to a plate to allow them to rest and lower the heat on the stove to medium. Take the burger buns and place them in the pan cut-side down. Grill for about 30 seconds or until golden and crispy around the bottom edges, being careful not to burn the bread.

Assembly:
Spread a dollop of the mayonnaise mixture on the tops and bottoms of the toasted buns. To the bottom buns, add a handful of arugula. Place the patties on top.