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An Italian meatball-inspired hamburger recipe by Trevy Thomas.

Burger on the grill. Photo:Robbie Owen-WahlLabor Day is upon us.  As I don’t have any children running around to remind me that school has begun and fall is almost here, I tend to get surprised by the change of seasons.  But it is the end of summer here in the U.S., and we like to wave farewell with a big juicy burger in our hands.  I have been to lots of cookouts where hamburgers are made by forming a lump of ground beef into a burger shape, then tossing it directly on the grill.  No seasoning involved.  I think we can do a little better than that.  Actually, I tried to get away with that once until my mother saw what I was doing.  She took the burgers, put them in a bowl and mixed in some delicious flavor, reshaped them and handed them back to me.  Sometimes my laziness gets the best of me.  This recipe is still quite easy and leaves plenty of room for personalization.  It is also way better than plain old beef, or heaven forbid, those pre-made patties seen at the grocer.  Happy Labor Day.

Homemade Burger Recipe
Serves 2 to 4 depending on how hungry

• 1 pound ground beef (preferably organic)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 small handful fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare grill. Mix together all ingredients (works best with hands), shape into the desired number of burgers (2 big, 3 medium, 4 small) and grill on both sides to the desired doneness, about 10 minutes per side for medium. Serve on bakery quality rolls with condiments, lettuce, tomato and sliced onion.

For a delicious change of pace, try Dave’s Lamb Burgers with Feta and Spinach.

I also really like to use salsa as a condiment for my burger.
Potato salad with green olives makes a nice accompaniment.