The MoH and the RT are at a Padres game tonight. First one of the season. I know. We aren't dedicated fans. Well, the MoH is, but it takes him a while to surface after life at the Tax Mines. At least the weather is nice so they won't freeze their woogies off at the ball park. What am I doing at home...alone.
Submittin' my entry for the Big Burger Ballyhoo 2007 at Writing at the Kitchen Table. What? You haven't entered your Boi-gah yet? What tha' hellztha-mattah-wif-u? Huh?
Well, since my guys ditched me, I made my burger myself. I ate it myself. Well, half of it. It was too big to eat the whole thing. But it was really good. Good enough to make it my official entry for the Ballyhoo. If you aren't a carnivore, the pictures aren't for the faint of heart. Trust me.
But just to round things out, I did make myself a little Southwest Salad to go with this. Gotta get my veggies in. I'll try to get that one up tomorrow.
Onion-Smothered Burger with Cheddar and Garlic Chipotle Sauce
Serves 3 with very healthy sized burgers
Ingredients
For the meat patties:
1-1/3 lbs. "93/7" Ground Beef (I guess that means lean)
2 T. chopped chives
1-1/2 tsp. cumin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 big pinches of salt
3 T. chopped cilantro
For the Burger:
3 1/2" slices of sweet onions, grilled or sauteed until carmelized
1/2 avocado, sliced
6 slices extra sharp cheddar
1 tomato, sliced
red leaf lettuce
Garlic Mayo Chipotle Mustard Sauce
Store Bought Ciabatta cut into fourths and grilled or toasted
Directions
- Mix all patty ingredients in a medium sized bowl by grabbing them with a very clean fist and squishing them through your fingers about four or five times.
- Form into 3 very large patties (or if you are more concerned about your arteries, form into 4 or even 5 patties. Then pat yourself on the back.)
- Grill or fry onions with a bit of olive oil and salt until they are very glossy, limp and dark brown. Blot off any excess oil.
- Fry or grill patties over a medium high heat for about 6 minutes on each side. Avoid pressing down on the meat as it cooks, as this pushes all the juice out of the patty.
- After flipping the patty to finish cooking, place two slices of cheddar on top. If you do this at the end of the cooking time, place a lid over the pan (or the lid of the BBQ) to melt the cheese.
- While the patty is cooking, cut the ciabatta (mine was a square shape) into four smaller squares. Broil, grill or toast to form a crusty base for the patty. This helps keep the bread from falling apart.
- To make the sauce, I used a 3 to 1 ratio of store bought Garlic Mayo and Chipotle Mustard. For one burger, that was 2 T of the mayo and 2 tsp. of the mustard.
Build Your Burger
- Spread the sauce on the toasted ciabatta.
- Place burger above, and then top with onions.
- On the other bun, spread more sauce, place lettuce, tomato slices, and avocado.
- Put both slices together, and cut burger to make eating easier.
Have available camera and plenty of napkins. Eat only half of burger if you are not wanting to be a blimp later in the evening when the guys get home from the ball park.
Notes: If someone could help me understand how to keep a burger bun together, I'd be forever indebted to them. As much as I grill, toast, or switch out types of buns, bread, or burger "lids," they still fall apart. I don't really mind, but to get the taste I long for, I need all the parts together in each bite. After all, I'm not interested in eating a burger salad, right?
This was a very good burger. I know some of you prefer ground beef with a higher fat content, but I'm a fussy burger eater, and for years have loved not having my burgers shrink when I cook them. I also love tasting all the ingredients, and not just the meat. And in this recipe, you can taste the cumin, which I love. Is it the best burger I've eaten? No way. Another day, another boi-gah. And I still haven't figured out how to make that burger with the chile verde slopped over it which was absolutely amazing. *sigh*
Cheers! More Burger Porn Below.....Medium Rare Beef Anyone? 
