gooey cheesey cheeseburgers

Is there a better adieu to non-healthy eating than the American classic cheeseburgers and french fries? If these burgers could talk, they would be begging us to reconsider our vow to get in shape. But with a strict wanna-be-trainer brother-in-law there is no way we could accomplish such a feat. We enjoyed these beastly beauties until we could no more. We added that extra slice of cheese and piled on a few extra caramelized onions and  thoroughly enjoyed pigging out on all things unhealthy.

I was tempted to make home made brioche buns to eat our meaty burgers on, but with multiple parties planned this weekend, there was unfortunately not enough time. Still these burgers needed no help. There was no oily grease and just enough fat to make these burgers sing. They were tender and juicy and almost too big for our buns, which was ok with us.

And, of course, you cannot eat a burger without fries. We like deep fried, extra crispy fries with our burgers and extra honey mustard in which to dip them. But these fries meet none of those standards. They are baked, not fried, which means they aren’t as bad for you, right? They were crispy on the outside with warm potato insides. So lets just say we have a new french fry standard.

The only things that could complete this meal were milkshakes. And since I just happened to have some left over chocolate ice cream, it was a done deal. They were smooth and thick, and were perfect for dipping those fries into or chasing that burger down. And besides, it’s fun to have dessert with your meal, right?

Cheeseburgers
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Cooking for Two

Yield 2 burgers

ATK Notes: Sirloin steak tips are labeled “flap meat” by some butchers, so be sure you’re buying the right meat; flank steak can be substituted if necessary. If you cannot find boneless beef short ribs, buy a bone-in beef rib and simply trim the fat and cut the meat off the bone yourself. Handling the ground meat minimally when shaping the burgers is crucial to their tender texture.

My Notes: I was feeling a bit lazy and picked up steak tips instead of both meats, because I didn’t feel like cutting the meat from the rib bone (yes, like I said, lazy). The burger was so juicy and tender, I almost don’t want to make this with short rib meat, though both will be excellent, I’m sure. The patties were also extremely fragile and decided to crumble when flipping to season as well as in the pan during cooking. Just use some spatulas and smoosh it back together the best you can. One of my burgers was literally crumby meat clumps on a bun, and it still tasted amazing (shhhh, pretend like I didn’t just admit that).

Burger:
5 ounces sirloin steak tips, cut into 1-inch chunks
5 ounces boneless short rib, cut into 1 inch pieces
Salt and Pepper
3  tablespoons unsalted butter
2 brioche hamburger buns
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 slices thick cheddar cheese
1/2 onion, thinly sliced

Sauce:
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoon ketchup
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Burgers: Place the steak tips and short rib pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer without touching. Freeze the meat until very firm and starting to harden around the edges but still pliable, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Sauce: Meanwhile whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed.

In the bowl of a food processor, add the frozen meat and pulse until coarsely ground, about 10 to 15 pulses,. Once ground, overturn the bowl onto a baking sheet, and gently spread the meat out, touching it as little as possible. Remove any long strands of gristle or large chunks of hard meat or fat.

Carefully separate the ground meat and gently shape each mound into a loose patty about ½ inch thick and 4 inches wide, leaving the edges and surface ragged. Handle the meat as little as possible, and make sure you do not pick the patties up to shape them, Once formed, generously season the top of each patty with salt and pepper to taste. Using a spatula, carefully flip the patties and season the other side (If they crumble, and I almost guarantee they will, just  gently push them back together). Refrigerate the patties while toasting the buns, or for up to 6 hours.

Over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet. Add the buns, cut side down, and toast until light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Set the buns aside and add the rest of the butter. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the onion slices, a pinch of kosher salt and cook until light, golden brown and caramelized. Set aside.

Add oil to skillet and bring heat back up to medium. When oil reaches the smoking point, lay the burners gently in the skillet using a spatula. Cook for 3 minutes then flip them and cook for 1 more minute. Top each burger with a slice of cheese and continue to cook until the cheese melts, about 1 more minute. (If your burgers are done cooking, but the cheese has not started to melt, place in a warm oven until the edges of the cheese start to wilt and cohere to the burger.)

Lay the patties on the bun bottoms, and top with the caramelized onions. Spread the burger sauce on the top buns, and lay them onto of the burgers. Serve with fries.

French Fries
Adapted from Michael Chiarello

Serves 2

4 Yukon Gold potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Peel potatoes and julienne them into 1/2 inch slices. Place potatoes into a pot with cold water and gently bring to a boil until a paring knife goes through easily. Be careful to not over boil, as they will turn too soft and crumble into mashed potatoes very quickly.

Very, very carefully drain potatoes and place on a oiled baking sheet. Pour olive oil over potatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake until light golden brown.