A smash burger on the Alsace Wine Route, with Le Streetfoodist
Antoine loves road trips, and yet he never used to cook on them. The reason was simple: cooking on the road meant too much gear, too much organising and not enough space in the car, so meals were whatever could be grabbed on the way. For his first recipe out in nature, the man behind Le Streetfoodist decided to do things properly. He drove up to a small hill above the Alsace Wine Route, unfolded his KitchenBox on one side, opened his TentBox on the other, and cooked a smash burger worthy of his favourite addresses, with the vineyards as a backdrop.
Meet Antoine, aka Le Streetfoodist
Antoine is 32 and splits his life between Strasbourg and Paris. For several years now, he has been sharing his passion for food and great places to eat with his community on Le Streetfoodist, from neighbourhood spots to the dishes he discovers on his travels. For him, food is the best way into a new place: travelling around France and abroad is first of all a way to understand a culture through what people cook and eat.
That makes this trip a slightly different one. Instead of seeking out the best local table, Antoine set out to become one, cooking his own meal in the middle of the Alsace countryside, with nothing but what fitted in his car.
The recipe: a road trip smash burger (serves 2)
Why a smash burger? For a first recipe in the wild, Antoine wanted a street food icon: something accessible, generous and loved by pretty much everyone. It is also a dish that rewards a good hot pan, which makes it a perfect test for an outdoor kitchen.
Ingredients
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2 potato buns
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1 large yellow onion
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4 slices of beef bacon
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2 large beef patties from the butcher
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2 slices of cheddar
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Butter, salt and pepper
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Secret sauce: chopped pickles, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and a splash of sweet-and-sour pickle juice
Method
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Lightly toast the buns in the pan with a knob of butter, then set aside.
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Slice the onion into rings and soften them gently in butter.
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Fry the beef bacon until crisp, keeping the fat in the pan.
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Season the patties with salt and pepper and cook them in the bacon fat, then melt a slice of cheddar on each.
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Mix the secret sauce ingredients in a bowl.
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Assemble from the bottom up: bun, sauce, patty with cheddar, onions, bacon, sauce, bun.
The secrets: pickle-juice sauce and a butcher's patty
Antoine's secret sauce sits somewhere close to a cocktail sauce, with one twist he never skips: a little sweet-and-sour pickle juice. It binds the sauce together and adds the tangy kick that makes you go back for another bite. It is a small detail, but it is the one that turns a good burger into a memorable one.
The other non-negotiable is the meat. Antoine always buys his patties from the butcher, for the quality of the beef and, above all, the right ratio of fat to mince. Cooked in the fat left by the bacon, they stay juicy right to the last bite, even on a windy hilltop.
Cooking outdoors with the KitchenBox
For Antoine, cooking outside instead of in his own kitchen changes everything, and in the best way. Yes, the sun and the wind take a little organising at first, but the portable KitchenBox was out and unfolded in 3 to 4 minutes, ready to cook. The hob heats up quickly and evenly, so searing the patties was child's play, and the utensils that come with it proved genuinely practical.
What struck him most was how complete it is for its size. Worktop, chopping board, pan, spatula, even salt and pepper shakers: everything he needed was already there. He only added a knife and a bowl. And once packed away, it takes up hardly any room and fits in any car boot, which removes exactly what used to stop him cooking on the road.
His best advice for eating well on a road trip? Use as many local ingredients and products as possible. Adapting to where you are is the best way to eat well with the best quality. He already has more ideas lined up, starting with sandwiches inspired by regional dishes.
Start your outdoor cooking adventure. Grab a KitchenBox now.
A nap with a view in the TentBox
To finish the day, Antoine had pitched his TentBox roof tent on the same small hill next to the Alsace Wine Route, right beside the KitchenBox. The view was incredible, and after a burger like that, nothing could beat stretching out in the tent for a well-earned nap with the vineyards in front of him. From cooking to resting, everything happened within a few steps, without packing up or driving anywhere.
That is the whole idea: a real meal, a real bed and a real view, wherever the road takes you. Watch the full recipe in video on Antoine's Reel, and follow @lestreetfoodist for his next road trip recipes.
