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.

I can’t really write a terse recipe for steak and potatoes because it’s just featured ingredients plus salt/pepper/oil plus lots of technique. I’ve picked up some from watching cooking shows on YouTube.

Sorry for the subpar photo. I was a little eager to eat this after my ridiculous snow adventure today. I was also trying to disguise the fact I only own one plate, which is much too small.

Home-Fried Potatoes

• Scrub skin. Dice potatoes to 1/2″ cubes.
• Parboil for 2-3 minutes. Drain.
• Transfer to skillet. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil.
• Roast at 425 F for 30-35 minutes. Turn twice in between, trying to achieve sear on sides.
• Separately, saute 1/4 small onion, diced.
• Combine, garnish with chives.

Steak

• Bring to room temp. Pat dry to remove blood.
• Season with generous kosher salt, cracked pepper.
• On skillet on high heat, heat olive oil, then lay steak down to sear.
• After about a minute, flip over, then turn to low heat.
• Cook without moving 5-7 minutes, depending on thickness. Flip.
• Add knob of butter, a couple whole cloves garlic, a couple sprigs thyme. Baste with butter. Cook for 6-8 more minutes.
• Remove steak, pour juices over, rest for 5-7 minutes.

Look at me, cooking during the day! I actually get to take photos with sunlight. Notable for using the first bottle of red wine I’ve ever bought. Based on an NYTimes formulation.

Edit 11/23: see Thanksgiving post for legit beef stew.

Beef Stew (Edit 11/23: nullified)

• 1 lb stew beef, cubed. Coat in 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 tsp pepper. Brown on all sides, Remove.
• 1 cup red wine, (2 tbsp red wine vinegar), to release scraps from pan.
• Replace beef. 2 bay leaves, 3.5 cups beef broth.
• Simmer covered for 2 hours. 40 min before end, add 1 onion, 5 carrots, 4 stalks celery. 30 min before end, add 2 potatoes.

This turned out wetter than anticipated. Thus, when I tried reducing it, it was much much starchier from the potatoes. Consider cutting back on wine and broth, and adding potatoes later to account for the cooking time from the de-skinning by boiling protocol.

To offset the very heavy nature of the stew, I decided to make a light salad, and because I have canned chickpeas…

Chickpea Salad

• 1 can chickpea washed, 2 roma tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes), 1 cucumber seeded, 1/4 red onion, 2 tbsp parsley, 1/2 lemon of juice, drizzle olive oil. Cut. Combine.

I roasted the chickpeas with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 tsp olive oil, in a skillet, 375 F, 45 minutes. Shouldn’t have. Oh well.