After returning from America’s heartland (I was in Minnesota for an extended weekend), I figured it was time to try a quintessential American dish.
It’s something where if chefs want to make it “simple, they spend lots of money on the best beef, cheese, and bun. To be reasonably tasty while using cheap ingredients (like what I’m using), you should spice it up a little. This is when I learn that Worcestershire sauce is kind of magic.
Burger
- Combine 1 lb 80:20 ground beef, (2 strips cooked bacon finely chopped,) 1 small onion finely diced, 1 clove garlic minced, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp mustard, 1 tsp worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper.
- Optionally: salad dressing, sun-dried tomato, sour cream/yogurt, lemon zest, ginger, ketchup, bbq sauce, curry powder, dried oregano/thyme/rosemary, cajun seasoning, sesame oil, teriyaki sauce, jalapenos.
- Shape into 4 patties, about 3/4 inch thick.In a skillet on medium heat with little to no oil, cook 3-4 minutes, until browning creeps up side, without moving or pressing. Flip. Top with cheese. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Cover briefly to steam cheese.
- Serve with burger things.
Edit 6/4: my friend and I made an Asian-inspired burger. It basically took the ingredients I’d usually put in a ground beef stir fry of sorts and shaped them into patties.
Asian-Inspired Burger
- Combine 1.5 lb 80:20 ground beef, 1/4 cup panko, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 egg, 4 cloves garlic minced, 1/4 onion minced, 1” ginger minced, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp white pepper.
- Shape into 6 patties, about 3/4 inch thick. Cook on skillet on medium heat with no oil for 4-6 minutes on each side.
- Serve on ciabatta rolls with shredded cabbage slaw, cilantro, and 1:3 Sriracha:mayo.