Charles Robinson's Hunter S Thompson Recipe

 

The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson is a very underrated book, and one of my favorites by him. In the book, Al only serves hamburgers, so I decided to showcase a burger with a Puerto Rican flair. Hamburgers are a quintessentially American food, but what happens when you take the burger out of the states? This question can generally be used about this book in general, if you substitute the word “man” for “food.” The main character, Paul Kemp, is a kind of wanderer, a man who’s been everywhere but belongs nowhere. When he lands in Puerto Rico, it’s no different, and he and his coworkers, who share his undistinguished journalist status, drown their sorrows in rum and cheap burgers.

For the burgers:

1 pound ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coriander

For the peppers and onions:

1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
1/2 onion, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves (or more, I’m always generous) garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon each of chili powder, coriander, and cumin
juice of half a lime

For the creamy sauce (adapted from Girl Versus Dough’s Chipotle Lime Crema):

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
juice of half a lime
1 minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

(If you’re making fries to go with your dinner, throw them in the oven before you start, as the burgers are done pretty quickly)

Slice up the onion and red pepper. Set a pan on the stove over medium heat with a little olive oil in it. Carmelize the onions so that they’re brown and delicious. Then add garlic, red pepper and spices, stirring until the peppers are tender. Squeeze in lime juice. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the meat and spices and form into patties. Put the same pan you used for the peppers back over medium heat and grill the patties until they’re cooked through (you could also do this on an actual grill, I just don’t have one).

While the burgers are going, make the creamy sauce if desired. Stir all the ingredients into the sour cream and set aside. When everything is ready, assemble the burgers and eat!

Buy The Rum Diaries Here