"memorial day" news and stories

Today is the official start of grilling season, and what better way to kick it off than with a book that offers a different burger recipe for every week of the year. Sally Sampson's Recipe of the Week: Burgers (we looked at her ice cream book last week) is a nice book, with clearly written directions for every dish and lots of pictures that will make you want to fire up the grill.

This book does a good job of looking at the full range of burgers. She doesn't just focus on the classic beef patty and instead casts her net to include ground chicken, turkey, lamb, tuna, salmon, black beans and portobello mushrooms. Additionally, if you're tired of the same old burger toppings, this book offers a wealth of inspiration that will keep your grilled patties exciting for weeks to come.

As someone who eats a lot of turkey burgers (the favored recipe around our house is to include chopped onion and peas in the meat mix), I'm excited to play with some of her flavor combos. This would be a fun book to show to your kids as well, because with all the yummy pictures, even the youngest of kids will be able to help pick out the picnic fare.

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Cooking hot dogs on the grill today? Don't grab them with a fork to turn them over.

• It's Memorial Day, that means the grilling season has begun.
• Speaking of, here's a review of the book Grill It!,and an interview with Mario Batali about his book Italian Grill.
• A guide to finding the best nan around Boston.
• Restaurant reviews: Feng Shui, The Blue-Eyed Crab, and G Bar & Kitchen.
• McDonald's vs. Chick-fil-A, chicken-wise.
• This week's recipes: Spiced Couscous, Grilled Chicken Thighs with Sugar Snap Peas, Grilled Korean-Style Short Ribs with Chili Slaw, Tinga Poblana de Pollo, Grilled Radicchio Wrapped in Pancetta, and Shrimp and Grits.

Well, Memorial Day is on Monday, as I'm sure you're aware. That means that it's grilling season, and a lot of people will be having a cookout. As Inventor Spot points out, this can lead to a lot of awkward plate and cup balancing, not to mention spills.

However, the problem may be solved with two beverage holding gadgets. Mobile Grape has this necklace style holder that holds any kind of glass with a stem. The other product, BevNeck, is the same concept for cans, bottles, and stemless glasses.

While the BevNeck and Mobile Grape don't solve all table-less dining problems, they seem like they could be a big help. Maybe keeping a few of these around for summer cookouts would be a good idea.

And now, here's a sharp and tasty, warm, and German variety, adapted from the Big Book of Backyard Cooking.

German Potato Salad with Fresh Dill

Ingredients:

2 pounds of potatoes, red-skin or other handy variety
8 slices of bacon
3/4 cup red onion
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2 tsp mustard -- Dijon or other specialty variety
2 tsp sugar
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh dill, or a healthy handful

Boil the potatoes. If you're using red-skins, slice them into disks after boiling. If not, slice pre-boil. If your potatoes are huge, like the ones I used for the salad above, cut the potato in half lengthwise first. Drain when the potatoes are ready, put in a bowl and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, fry up the bacon. When it's done, chop it up. Keep 3 tbsp of bacon fat in the pan, add the chopped onion, and saute it until soft on medium, medium-low heat. Then whisk in vinegar, 1/2 cup water, the mustard, sugar, 2 tsp salt, and a 1/4 tsp of pepper. Let it simmer until the mixture is reduced by about 1/2.

Now there's one of two ways to do this. Either toss the potatoes in the skillet and then transfer to a bowl, or pour the contents over the potatoes, and then transfer them to another bowl. Once coated, sprinkle with the chopped bacon and chopped fresh dill, toss gently, season, and serve warm.