To prove that you can eat locally grown food AND stay within your grocery budget, the Dixie Classic Fair Farmers Market and the City of Winston-Salem is sponsoring the $20 Challenge twice a month from now through September in 2014.

This week's menu:
Better Butter Burgers
Fresh Succotash
Sweet Peach Compote

I stage a live cooking demonstration in which I prepare a meal for a family of four for $20 using ingredients I buy at the market that day.

This week, I was joined once again by my temporary sous chef and friend, Chris Blackburn, chef/owner of Josephine's Bistro and Lindley Park Filling Station in Greensboro.

Did you not make it to the market on Saturday? Watch the $20 Challenge on WSTV -13 on Time Warner Cable (Channels 74.3 and 1303) OR subscribe to the City of Winston-Salem's You Tube channel.

This week was full of simplicity and decadence. Putting a knob of fresh, creamy butter in the center of a burger is not unheard of, but it's certainly not for the faint of heart. Adding even more butter to the fresh, crisp vegetables of a classic succotash is where the simplicity comes in. Succotash is near and dear to me and I don't take making it lightly. This version is EXTRA special because instead of the classic butterbeans, I use a variety of bean new to me: pink-eye peas. Watch the freshest episode of $20 Challenge to learn all about the fresh, local ingredients from North Carolina.

Better Butter Burgers + Sweet Peach Compote

Yield: 4

Author: Nikki Miller-Ka of Nik Snacks

Ingredients

Better Butter Burgers

6 Tablespoons salted mountain butter, at room temperature
1 cup onions, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons Montreal or steak seasoning
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 pound ground grass-fed beef
4 soft hamburger buns, split
Additional Condiment Ideas
Lettuce leaves
Sliced ripe red tomato
Mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, relish, Cackalacky sauce

Fresh Succotash

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 Tablespoons salted butter
1/2 cup onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 cups fresh pink-eyed beans, rinsed
1 1/2 cups fresh (2 ears) corn kernels
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Fresh Peach Compote

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 cups sliced, peaches (skin on)
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Better Butter Burgers

Divide the meat into 8 loose portions, then gently flatten into thin patties.
Season ground beef with Montreal steak seasoning. Place one Tablespoon of butter in the center of four of the thin burger patties, placing another burger on top. Pinch the outer edges, sealing the butter inside each patty.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a mid-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until butter melts, 3 to 4 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking.
Add the burger patties to the hot skillet with the onions and cook burgers for 5-7 minutes per side for medium, or until done to your liking.
Allow burgers to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon the now caramelized onions on top of the burgers. Meanwhile, toast the buns, season three tomato slices with salt and pepper.
Assemble and serve burgers on buns with the toppings of your choice.

Fresh Succotash

In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat.
Add onion; cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.
Add beans and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are tender, about 8 minutes.
Add corn. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Serve.

Fresh Peach Compote

Place a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Add butter and sugars to the pot. Do not stir. Let the butter and the sugars caramelize and melt.
Add peaches and coat the peaches with the caramelized sugar. Bring them to a simmer and heat them until the peaches start to break apart. Stir again to coat peaches with sugar. Sprinkle with salt. Serve.

Notes:

Mixing whole butter into your hamburger meat or incorporating it into your meat patty is a sure-fire way to make sure your burger is juicy and full of flavor. Be sure not to handle your beef too much, as that will make it tough. You'll see in the video that I barely touch the meat as I seal the burgers before putting them in the skillet.

Calories

2573.18

Fat (grams)

230.50

Sat. Fat (grams)

136.03

Carbs (grams)

95.51

Fiber (grams)

9.19

Net carbs

86.32

Sugar (grams)

49.82

Protein (grams)

44.83

Sodium (milligrams)

3064.02

Cholesterol (grams)

626.30

Please consult a healthcare professional or dietician about nutritional needs for your diet. I am a communications professional, not a physician.

Similar Recipes

Bacon And Eggs Benedict Brunch Burger

Southern Style Succotash

Spiced Peach Tart

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$20 challenge farmers market Winston-Salem

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About the author

Nikki Miller-Ka

Ms. Miller-Ka is a classically trained chef with a BA in English from East Carolina University and a Culinary Arts Associate Degree from Le Cordon Bleu-Miami.

Formerly, she’s worked as a researcher, an editorial assistant, reporter and guest blogger for various publications and outlets in the Southeast. She has also worked as a catering chef, a pastry chef, a butcher, a baker, and a biscuit-maker. Presently, she is a food editor, freelance food writer, and a tour guide for Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours.

$20 Challenge [Better Butter Burgers + Sweet Peach Compote] #dcfarmkt