AIP beef burgers and cassava fries sheet pan dinner

Somebody at the cookout is eating a bun, and regular fries, and you are doing something else entirely tonight. That is real. It is also fine, because this is the answer for the nights that particular craving shows up at your own kitchen table: real burgers, real fries, made entirely from what you are allowed to eat.

The cassava fries take patience before they take heat. A short boil in baking-soda water softens the starch at the surface, which is what lets the outside crisp in the oven instead of staying leathery. Skip the boil and you will taste the difference. Do not skip it.

Ground beef here is doing real metabolic work, not just filling a bun-shaped hole in your evening. Iron and B12 both tend to dip low when an Autoimmune condition has been part of the picture for a while, especially if digestion has taken a hit, and a burger built from whole ground beef puts real amounts of both back on the plate.

Mix the patties with your hands. Feel where the meat came from, an animal raised for exactly this, and let that be part of what you are grateful for before you eat. Then make the plate look like something worth photographing, because you did the work tonight and it shows.

Ingredients

For the burgers:

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar (omit for Whole30)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, finely ground
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, sifted

For the cassava fries:

• 2 lbs cassava root, frozen and peeled
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• sea salt to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (for the boiling water)

Method

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line two sheet pans with parchment.

Start the fries first. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Add the frozen cassava pieces and boil for 10 to 12 minutes, until just tender when pierced but not falling apart. Drain carefully and let them steam-dry for a few minutes. Cut or break into fry-shaped pieces. Toss with the melted coconut oil and a generous pinch of sea salt and spread in a single layer on one sheet pan.

While the cassava boils, mix the burgers. Combine the ground beef, water, coconut flour, coconut sugar (if using), apple cider vinegar, sea salt, ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, and sifted baking soda in a large bowl. Mix until just combined - do not overwork it. Form into 6 patties, roughly 3/4-inch thick, and arrange on the second sheet pan.

Put both pans in the oven. The fries will need 30 to 40 minutes total, turning once halfway through, until golden and crisp at the edges. The burgers will cook in 20 to 25 minutes, depending on thickness.

*Note: Oven time for the burgers is estimated. Check doneness with a meat thermometer - 160F internal temperature.*

Air fryer variation

The cassava fries finish beautifully in an air fryer after their initial boil. Set the air fryer to 390F and cook the drained, oiled fries in a single layer for 15 to 18 minutes, shaking the basket once halfway through. Work in batches if needed - crowding reduces crispness. The burgers can stay in the oven while the fries finish in the air fryer.

*Adapted from eatbeautiful.net*