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Farmhouse Burger

Source of Recipe

From "The Good Stuff Cookbook" by Spike Mendelsohn


Recipe Introduction

"Who doesn't like these old-school basic recipes? They are among my favorites�classics but with the flavor just oozing from them. My grandfather always used to make the Farmhouse Cheeseburger because it's unheard-of to eat a burger without cheese in our house."

List of Ingredients

◦ 30 ounces ground sirloin
◦ 6 potato buns, cut in half
◦ Canola oil
◦ Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
◦ 6 leaves iceberg lettuce
◦ 6 ruby-red tomato slices
◦ 6 red onion slices
◦ 12 pickle slices
◦ About 1 cup Good Stuff Sauce (recipe follows)


Recipe

To make the patties, roll six 5-ounce sirloin balls and form each ball into a patty. Arrange on a tray, cover, and refrigerate.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add just enough oil to cover the entire bottom. When the oil begins to smoke, reduce the heat to medium and place the patties into the skillet. Season the patties with salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side for 3 minutes more for medium-rare doneness. Toast the buns. Set aside.

To assemble the burgers, place one patty on one toasted bun bottom. Top the patty with one lettuce leaf, one tomato slice, one onion slice, and two pickle slices. Dress with some of the sauce. Cover with the bun top. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Wrap the burgers in wax paper. Let rest for 2 to 3 minutes and serve.

Serves 6





� Variation: Farmhouse Cheeseburger

Make the Farmhouse Burgers as described above, but place a slice of American cheese on top of each patty 2 minutes before they're done. Cover the pan with a lid for the last 30 seconds to melt the cheese.






❧ Good Stuff Sauce:

"After reading several books and articles on Americans and the hamburgers they love, my mother found that people's favorite sauces were different takes on Thousand Island dressing (ketchup and mayo). At one of our family tastings, Mike Colletti, a chef I met at Le Cirque, and I came up with our twist on it: we locked ourselves in the kitchen and added a little something to the sauce to give it a real kick."

◦ 2 cups mayonnaise
◦ 2 tablespoons ketchup
◦ 2 tablespoons molasses
◦ 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
◦ 1 teaspoon salt

Add the mayonnaise, ketchup, molasses, vinegar, and salt to a food processor or blender. Pur�e until smooth. The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Makes about 2 cups