Cuban Frita (Cuban-Style Burger)

About This Recipe

The frita cubana is Cuba's answer to the classic burger -- a patty made from a blend of ground beef and chorizo, seasoned heavily with paprika and garlic, then griddled hot and fast. What sets it apart from an American burger is the topping: a tangle of thin, crispy shoestring potato sticks piled right on top of the sauce, adding crunch and starch in the same bite. It's street food that became a beloved Cuban-American diner classic, especially in Miami. Mixing chorizo into the ground beef is what gives frita patties their signature reddish color and smoky-spiced flavor, so there's no need for a heavy seasoning blend beyond paprika, garlic and a little cumin. The patties should be thin and cooked hard on a well-oiled griddle or cast iron pan so the edges crisp up -- this isn't a juicy, pink-in-the-middle burger, it's meant to be cooked through with a good crust. The sauce, a simple ketchup-based mix with a little hot sauce, gets brushed onto the bun before the potatoes go on. Served on a soft roll with thin-sliced onion and that pile of crispy potato sticks, this is fast, punchy, satisfying home cooking that rewards getting the pan properly hot before the patties go in.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 0.75 lbground beef
• 0.25 lbSpanish chorizo(casing removed, finely chopped)
• 2 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tspsmoked paprika
• 0.5 tspground cumin
• 0.5 tspfine sea salt
• 0.25 tspblack pepper
• 2 tbspoil(for the griddle)
• 4soft burger buns
• 0.5 cupketchup
• 1 tsphot sauce
• 1small onion(thinly sliced)
• 2 cupsshoestring potato sticks(fried, store-bought or homemade)

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the patties

   In a bowl, combine ground beef, chorizo, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix gently, then form into 4 thin patties.

2. 2

   Make the sauce

   Stir together ketchup and hot sauce in a small bowl; set aside.

3. 3

   Heat the griddle

   Heat oil in a cast iron pan or griddle over medium-high heat until it shimmers.

4. 4

   Cook the patties

   Cook patties 3 to 4 minutes per side, pressing lightly, until well browned and cooked through with crisp edges.

   Fritas are meant to be cooked through, not pink in the middle -- the chorizo needs the full cook to render properly.

5. 5

   Toast the buns

   Toast the buns cut-side down in the same pan for 1 minute until lightly golden.

6. 6

   Assemble

   Spread sauce on the bottom bun, add the patty, sliced onion, and a generous pile of shoestring potatoes. Top with the bun and serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  Cheese frita: add a slice of melted cheese under the potato sticks.

• •

  Spicier sauce: increase hot sauce or add a pinch of cayenne to the ketchup mix.

• •

  Homemade shoestring potatoes: julienne russet potatoes and fry at 325F (165C) until crisp and golden.

Storage

Cooked patties keep in the fridge up to 2 days; reheat in a hot skillet for 2 minutes per side. Assemble the burger fresh -- buns and potato sticks don't hold well once stored.

Frequently Asked Questions