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One day someone told me, a few years ago, that they wanted to try a burger outside of the ordinary and the first thing that came to mind was this patacón burger. I named other possibilities first: a Creole burger with fried egg, Hawaiian, shrimp and avocado… however, these options did not call for much attention until I mentioned this now famous patacón burger.

Back then I had gone some time without savoring this tasty dish, which used to be the most craved, in those days in which an important soccer game was being watched at our house. Cup qualifiers, the end of the championship, any transcendental that was being televised. The burgers would be cut up in smaller portions for snacking, we would serve them on trays with a pink sauce and would accompany it with an ice cold beer.

This week we made them again and we added a variant that is also well-liked at home: the sought after arepas and a beer bar. Sounds tasty, right? And it’s because they are!

To prepare this menu, you need:

• Green plantains, oil, ground beef, green tomato, cheese slices, tomato sauce, mayo and a few drops of lime juice.
• Arepas.

Prepare the patacones by peeling the plantains and then cutting them in big chunks. Lightly sauté them in the hot oil, remove them from cooking once they are soft and press down on them until giving them the shape and size desired. Return them to the pan with the oil and let them dry until they are golden. Drain them over absorbent paper to then add salt to taste. Save them.

Afterwards prepare the Arepas if you wish to add them to the tray (see recipe here), slice up the tomatoes and pan-fry the burgers. Once you have everything ready, elaborate the pink sauce by mixing mayo with ketchup and seasoning to taste with a few drops of lemon.

Put the burgers together by substituting the traditional bread for the patacones and placing the meat, slice of cheese, and slice of tomato in between the plantains. Cover everything up with a bit of the pink sauce and enjoy!

If I had to pick just one ingredient in the kitchen it would be plantains, the base of many exquisite dishes like this patacon burger. Would you make it too?

Would you also watch the next soccer game with this delicious menu?