Guacamole Burgers

GUACAMOLE BURGERS
6 servings

Guacamole

1 firm ripe medium avocado, peeled, and seed removed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons mayonnaise or reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced peeled onion
¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce or to taste
1/8 teaspoon chili powder or to taste (optional)
Salt to taste

Hamburger Mixture

2 pounds lean ground beef (chuck, round, sirloin, or other lean ground beef),
or 2 pounds ground uncooked chicken or turkey
½ cup chopped peeled Vidalia or other sweet onion
1 teaspoon minced peeled garlic
Salt or seasoned salt and freshly ground black pepper or seasoned pepper to taste
6 to 8 Kaiser or onion rolls or hamburger buns, each split in half,
or ½-inch thick slices French or Italian bread, cut on-the-diagonal,
buttered, if desired, and toasted or grilled
6 slices firm ripe tomato
1 cup shredded lettuce

Prepare Guacamole. In a small bowl, mash avocado; immediately blend in lemon juice. Add mayonnaise, minced onion, hot pepper sauce, chili powder, if desired, and salt to taste, blending well. Cover and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, onion, garlic, salt or seasoned salt and pepper or seasoned pepper, mixing well. Shape mixture into 6 to 8 equal-size patties. Pan-fry, broil, or grill burgers as desired about 6 to 7 minutes total for medium rare and about 8 to 9 minutes total for medium-done burgers, turning each once. (Pan-fry burgers over moderate heat. Broil burgers about 6 to 8 inches from heat source. Grill burgers over medium hot (charcoal) coals or medium setting of a gas grill, about 8 inches above heat source.) Place each cooked hamburger on the bottom half of a toasted bun or on toasted slices of French or Italian bread. Top each with shredded lettuce, a tomato slice, and a spoonful of Guacamole. Top with the top half of each bun or serve burgers on toasted French or Italian bread slices open-face.