Email to Cat      

Blue Cheese Burgers II

Source of Recipe

From "Williams Sonoma: Cooking at Home" by Chuck Williams


Recipe Introduction

"As long as the patty is well seasoned and perfectly cooked, a hamburger can be made with nearly any type of bread and any topping. Here, the burger sits on a bed of watercress atop garlic toast and is served open-faced, with crumbled Stilton cheese."

List of Ingredients

◦ 1 pound ground beef chuck
◦ Salt and ground pepper
◦ � cup finely minced green onion, including tender green tops
◦ 1 tablespoon olive oil
◦ � pound Stilton, Gorgonzola, or Roquefort cheese, at room temperature
◦ 4 slices coarse country bread, each about ⅓ inch thick
◦ 2 cloves garlic, halved
◦ 2 cups watercress leaves, plus more for garnish


Recipe

Place the beef in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the onion, mixing well. Divide into four equal portions, and shape each portion into a patty about � inch thick.

In a large frying pan over high heat, warm the oil. When the oil is very hot, add the patties (in batches, if necessary) and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the patties until browned on the undersides, about 2 minutes. Turn the patties and crumble the blue cheese on top, dividing it evenly, then smashing it lightly. Cook on the second sides until done to your liking, 1 to 1 � minutes longer for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

Add the bread to the frying pan (in batches, if necessary) and cook, turning once, until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and rub one side of each slice with the cut side of a halved garlic clove. Divide the toasts among individual plates, garlic-rubbed side up. Top each toasted bread slice with one-fourth of the watercress, then place the patties on top and pour any accumulated juices over the top. Garnish with additional watercress and serve right away.

Makes 4 servings






❧ Shaping Patties:
To ensure an evenly cooked burger, make a circular indentation in the center of the patty so it is slightly thinner in the middle than at the edges. During cooking, the meat will even out into a uniform, flat patty.