By Sherak Ayamga
3/6/21
I chose to use the Hamburger Diner Style and Homemade Crispy French Fries recipe because I am a huge fan of burgers and fries, and I was hoping that I would be able to cook it at home and maybe modify this recipe to be healthier so I can eat more of what I love. During the summer, my friends and I would go to each other's houses and eat hamburgers and hotdogs, and homemade burgers are so delicious. They bring back comforting and happy memories. I also enjoy going to different restaurants and getting hamburgers and French fries however I often do not like them because they are so greasy and it’s hard to eat sometimes, so I always crave something healthier.
Based off of the original recipe (which was so good), and it made me realize that I wanted something more lean yet tasty. So I decided to decrease the sodium content by 140 mg and then decreased saturated fat context by 50%. Saturated fat can be found in breadcrumbs and hamburger buns, so I thought it would be a good idea to eliminate the breadcrumbs, and then substitute the bread bun with a lettuce bun. I liked it better nutritionally and taste wise because it was fresh and crunchy, and it offered more nutritional value like less sodium and less saturated fats. Hamburger meat itself is fatty, and so I decided to go with leaner meat like chicken. Since chicken is a good source of protein, it also has limited amounts of sodium and saturated facts in comparison to Hamburg meat, and this can decrease the chance of heart disease.
The taste was phenomenal. I was worried about omitting the breadcrumbs however the ground chicken was able to bind really well with the onion, eggs, and spices. They did not fall apart and they were so tasty, honestly better than the hamburger. It also wasn’t so greasy and the bun was so refreshing and crunchy and added flavor. However eating the fries made me realize they were salty and did not have the flavor I wanted, so I want to modify the fries next and I might do so by not using salt and using garlic and parsley or maybe a different kind of salt like pink sea salt. Any advice to anyone who wants to make this dish, would be to use the chicken and the lettuce buns, have patience, and don’t be afraid to add spices!
Original Recipe French Fries
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 8
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
2 ½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
½ cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
Directions
1. Slice potatoes into French fries, and place into cold water
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat
3. Mix ingredients
4. Dip potato slices into the batter one at a time, and place in the hot oil until golden
Original Recipe Diner Hamburger
Serving Size: 1
Yield: 8
Time: 20 mins
Ingredients
½ teaspoon canola oil
2 pounds ground beef at least 20 percent fat
Kosher salt and black pepper
8 buns
Lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes
Directions
1. Add oil in skillet medium heat
2. Divide beef season with salt
3. Increase heat and place burger
4. Cook without moving until patties have achieved a deep crust
5.Continue to cook until meat is cooked through