Mini-pub burgers.

Friday night, before all of the Hoopla (3-on-3 basketball tourny) fun began, we had Taylor's twin brother and sister-in-law over for dinner. I knew I wanted to make something fun, fresh and summery, so I consulted my favorite Food Network star, Giada. She is great about using fresh ingredients and most of the recipes of hers that I've tried, come out delicious. Also, she's adorable and I love her.

I picked her mini-pub burgers so the boys could load up on protein and decided I'd put the corn on the grill pan again, after such good results the other night. I also made my favorite potatoes (just red potatoes, S&P, olive oil, garlic and rosemary), with a little whole grain mustard added this time, to round out the meal.

It was absolutely delicious if I do say so myself. And since the weekend ended in yet another championship, I'm taking a little bit of the credit. :) Here's the recipe with the substitutions I made.

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 pounds ground chuck
3/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
9 small sourdough rolls, sliced in 1/2
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
9 slices (4 1/2 ounces) Swiss cheese
9 large basil leaves

Directions
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.

Chop the garlic and parsley. Add the ground chuck, Parmesan cheese, tomato paste, salt, and pepper to a bowl. Hand mix until combined. Form the mixture into patties (I got twice as many as she said the recipe yielded, into the freezer they went!). Place the burgers on the grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes each side.

Brush the cut side of each roll with the olive oil and toast on the grill pan for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly golden.

To serve, place 1 mini burger on the bottom half of each of the rolls. Place 1 slice of cheese on top of the burgers. Place the basil leaf on top of the cheese and cover with the top half. Serve.