The Hamburger. What was once pedestrian Americana, the territory of backyard barbecues and fast food chains, has enjoyed a rebirth of late. Thanks to chefs like Daniel Boulud — whose $120 signature burger combines sirloin, braised short ribs, black truffles and foie gras — the burger has been elevated to gourmet status.
Now I’m not suggesting you break out the black truffles, but these home gourmet burgers are delicious, easy to make and can take on a range of flavors depending on what you put in the herb butter.
Rosemary-Garlic Burgers
What You’ll Need: (makes 4 burgers)
- 1.5 lbs 80/20 ground chuck beef. (80/20 means this ground beef has 20 percent fat content. The fat content keeps the burgers from drying out when they cook)
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 or 3 cloves of garlic*
- 1 tablespoon of Rosemary*
- Salt and pepper
- 10 mushrooms, sliced
- Half an onion, sliced
- Lettuce, only the green, leafy part
- 4 slices fontina cheese
- 4 buns, either brioche or potato rolls
*You can use whatever herbs and spices you want in the butter, just change the toppings to suit. For instance, put Middle Eastern spices in the butter and serve the burgers on pita.
- Put the butter in a small mixing bowl, add pressed garlic and rosemary and stir well.
- Roll the herb butter in a sheet of plastic wrap, forming a log and refrigerate until solid.
- Put the ground meat in a mixing bowl, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, mixing with your hands to make sure there’s even seasoning.
- Divide the meat into 4ths and lightly form into balls.
- Cut 4 ½ inch slices of herb butter and push them into the center of the burgers. You might have to re-form the balls around the butter pats.
- Heat up a large frying pan, place the burgers on the pan, then immediately flatten them into patties with a spatula.
- Cook until done, 4-5 minutes per side. During the last few minutes, put the cheese on the burgers.
Right after you take the burgers out of the pan, add the mushrooms and sauté 1-2 minutes until soft. Top the burgers with mushrooms, lettuce and onions.
*Note: you will definitely have herb butter left over, so optionally, you can spread some on both inside faces of the buns, top with the cheese and toast in the oven while the burgers are cooking.