Veal Saltimbocca Burger with Sage Aioli

 When you take an old-school Italian dish and make a burger out of it, things get good. Taste test the Veal Saltimbocca Burger with Sage Aioli for proof that the classics are still really good. 

Nothing screams old fashioned like the classic Italian recipes you can find at every mom and pop restaurant in Little Italy. There’s going to be meatballs and a giant serving of lasagna, sauteed garlic rabe and of course some classic veal dishes on the menu.

Saltimbocca, much like chicken marsala, is one of those serious throwbacks. A simple dish of veal that’s been pounded thin and rolled in prosciutto, simmered in sage, lemon, and white wine. If that doesn’t sound good enough to stand alone for you, I took that classic dish and decided it needed an update for #BurgerMonth. I have pork burgers, and a ton of beef burgers, lamb burgers, but I got to thinking, where are my veal burgers? Veal is a great protein for burger. Ground veal is a subtle meat that picks up the flavor profiles it’s cooked with, so why not use it as a solid base for an epic burger?

Pro tip: Always dimple those burgers to avoid the bloated effect as the meat expands for cooking. 

Ground veal patties wrapped in prosciutto were char-grilled over indirect heat while I whipped up a sage aioli to slather on toasted buns before melting some light havarti over the finished patties.

The burgers were light and loaded with flavor. The simple flavors of the aioli shined through. A perfect high-class patty for your next cookout. It’s one of those recipes that sounds incredibly fancy, but comes together really quickly and has the fans raving.

Sure, this ain’t grandmas veal saltimbocca, but for this girl carnivore, it may be a new staple recipe.

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Veal Saltimbocca Burger with Sage Aioli

Ingredients

For the Sage Aioli

• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 - 3 fresh sage leaves
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1 teas lemon zest
• 1/4 teas lemon juice
• salt and pepper

For the Veal Saltimbocca Burgers

• 1 lbs ground veal
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 lbs prosciutto
• 4 slices Havarti
• 4 buns
• lettuce, tomato, onion for garnish

Instructions

1. Prep your charcoal or gas grill for indirect heat. Clean and oil the grate. Close the lid and allow the grill to come to temp.
2. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and swirl to coat the pan. Add the sage leaves and cook until crisp.
3. Remove the sage from the pan, and crumble.
4. Stir the crumbled sage into the mayo. Add the lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Set aside.
5. Meanwhile, season the ground veal with salt and form into patties.
6. Wrap the prosciutto around the veal and press. Its tacky nature will allow it to stick to the veal without falling off.
7. Place the patties over the cooler side of the grill to minimize risk of flare-ups. Allow the patties to cook to 160 °F, flipping as needed to ensure even cooking.
8. In the last few minutes of grilling the burgers, toast the buns and place the havarti atop the burgers to melt.
9. When ready to serve, spread the aioli onto the buns, layer on lettuce tomato and onion, if desired. Place the cooked veal burger and remaining bun half atop and serve.