If you like the sharp taste of horseradish year round, and not just on Passover, you may be inspired, as I was, to add it to your ground meat to make a horseradish burger.  Sounds delicious, right?  It does to me too.  But it doesn’t work.  The flavor compounds in fresh horseradish are extremely volatile, and dissipate soon after grating (this is why prepared horseradish is steeped in vinegar, which seals in the peppery flavor), and nearly entirely after cooking.

For my second attempt at a horseradish burger, I added grated horseradish to homemade mayonnaise.  Success!  The mayo coated the horseradish and prevented molecules from dissipating in the air, sealing in the flavor.  And adding the sauce after the burger was cooked meant I had all of the bitter herb taste, raw and fresh, to round out the sweet juicy taste of burger.  Add a pickle, salt and pepper to taste, and voila.  Delicious!

Horseradish Mayonnaise
1/2 cup homemade or store-bought mayonnaise
2 tablespoons (or more to taste) freshly grated horseradish

Put the mayo in a bowl and have a spoon ready for stirring.  Grate the horseradish directly into the bowl if you can, or if you do it onto a counter, add it as quickly as possible to the mayo and stir well to incorporate (the longer the grated horseradish is exposed to the air, the less flavor you’ll have).  Slather on burgers after grilling and serve.