Deconstructed Hamburger Salad

Most of the time, cooking and eating is a social and creative outlet for me. Although I complain (sometimes a lot) about the scourge of making dinner, there is something uniquely satisfying about putting a plate in front of another human and saying, in essence, "I made this for you."

But sometimes, I get to cook just for me. Those meals often feature things that make Dave wrinkle his nose: olives, fish, seafood, chicken livers.

Last night, craving a hamburger or pizza or something equally junky, I poked around in the fridge and came up with the junkiest healthy food I could.

First, full disclosure: I love iceburg lettuce.

I know that is a weird position to hold.

Additionally, I love shredded iceberg lettuce when it's kinda warm and wilty.

Double-weird, I know.

Accept that, then move on with me.

The salad I cobbled together combined elements of a hamburger and an Italian sub. It was not pretty – and I ate it straight out of the mixing bowl – so there's no photo, but it was super tasty and enormously satisfying. As I watched Downton Abbey, I might have remarked out loud to the empty room, "Holy sh*t! This is good."

This is not my salad; this is a cute bento box salad.

NOTE: This "recipe" includes my favorite hamburger ingredients, but it's wildly adaptable so have fun with it. This is one of those rare cases when I didn't think about what you guys might like – I just made exactly what I like. Should you want to play around with it, avocado and tomato would be a nice addition... and I wish now, in the light of day, that I'd remembered to add sliced banana peppers.

Deconstructed Hamburger Salad

Ingredients:
1/4 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
a little bit of yellow onion, sliced very thin
4 oz. crumbled and browned ground beef
olive oil, red wine vinegar
salt, pepper, garlic powder
Penzeys Italian Herb Mix
homemade mayo
sliced jicama

Directions:
1. Place lettuce and onion in a bowl. Drizzle with  olive oil and vinegar. Smash about 1 teaspoon of Italian herbs between fingers and add to bowl. Toss well, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss again. It's important to do this step first so the lettuce can wilt a little bit and the flavors can meld. If you like your lettuce really crisp, don't dress the salad 'til the end.

2. Brown the beef in a saute pan with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

3. Add the ground beef to the top of the salad while it's still sizzling hot from the pan. Place a dollop of cold mayo on top of the hot meat. Serve jicama on the side. Grab a fork and eat like an animal. Go ahead! No one is looking... or maybe that's just me.