Old-Fashioned Burger Stand Burgers & Easy French Fries
These are thin, fall-apart tender, juicy, salty burgers with a slight crisp crust, smothered in melty cheese, onions, and tangy burger sauce before being smooshed into a pillowy, sweet, toasted potato roll. Swoon. Imagine the best 1950s burger stand - one that carefully wraps its burgers in wax paper and sends them out dripping in burger sauce with a side of crispy fries. Maybe via a roller skating waitress. These are those burgers. Christopher Kimball called them something like the “ultimate indulgence burgers” - exactly!
You need to make them! Don't be afraid of grinding your own meat -- it's so simple. Cut into chunks, freeze for 15 minutes, pulse in batches in the food processor. The results are worth it.
Regarding the fries, I probably would have destroyed any other recipe with my awful frying skills. This recipe, though, is dummy-proof, as long as you keep an eye on the pot (you don't even have to measure the temperature of the oil).
Enjoy!
Old-Fashioned Burger Stand Burgers
Recipe by: Cooks Illustrated
Yields: 4 burgers
Ingredients:
10 ounces sirloin steak tips, cut into 1-inch chunks (look for meat that has a striated texture to be sure you have the right cut. Flank steak may be substituted)
6 ounces boneless beef short ribs, cut into 1-inch chunks
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 soft hamburger buns (potato rolls)
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 slices American cheese (don't substitute! American cheese has the perfect texture for this recipe)
Thinly sliced onion
Classic Burger Sauce Ingredients:
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon sweet pickle relish
1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Mix ingredients for burger sauce and refrigerate it until you're ready for it.
2. Place chunks of meat onto baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart. Freeze until very firm, hard around the edges, but still pliable (15-25 minutes).
3. Grind meat in a food processor in two batches, using 10 to 15 one-second pulses and redistributing meat in the processor as necessary. Transfer the meat to a tray or baking sheet without touching it -- just overturn the processor bowl onto the tray. You want to touch the meat as little as possible from here on out. Discard gristle or hunks of fat.
4. Gently separate ground meat into 4 equal mounds using a spatula. Shape each mound gently (without picking it up) into a patty about 4 inches in diameter and thin (about 1/4 inch thick), leaving edges ragged and crevices in the burger. Season top of each patty liberally with salt and pepper. Use a spatula to flip patties and season the other side. Stick them in the refrigerator while you toast the buns.
5. Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until it foams. Toast 4 buns, tops and bottoms, in batches until golden brown. Set aside and wipe out the skillet.
6. Put skillet on high heat. Add oil and heat until just smoking. Using a spatula, put all 4 patties into the skillet and cook without moving for 3 minutes. Flip burgers over gently and cook for 1 minute. Top each with a slice of American cheese and cook for another minute.
7. Place patties onto bun bottoms and place sliced onions on top. Spread burger sauce on each bun top, cover burgers, and serve immediately.
Easy French Fries
Recipe by: Cooks Illustrated
Yields: about 2-3 servings
Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes (about 6 medium), scrubbed, dried, sides squared off, and cut length-wise in 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch batons (strips)
6 cups peanut oil
1/4 cup bacon fat, strained, optional
Kosher salt
Belgian-Style Dipping Sauce Ingredients:
5 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon table salt
Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients for Belgian-Style Dipping Sauce together and refrigerate until needed.
2. Put potatoes, oil, and bacon fat (if using) into a large Dutch oven or stock pot. Cook over high heat about 5 minutes or until the oil reaches a good rolling boil. Cook without stirring until potatoes are limp but their exteriors are firm enough to scrape stuck ones off the bottom without breaking. The original recipe says 15 minutes, but keep an eye on them and try a little early (gently).
3. Using tongs, stir potatoes, gently loosening any that are sticking to the bottom, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden the fries are golden brown and crisp, about 5 to 10 minutes longer. Use a slotted spoon to transfer fries onto a bed of paper towels over a baking sheet. Salt and serve immediately, while hot, which Belgian-Style Dipping Sauce.
To read about why these burgers are so tender and these fries are so easy, read about one of my embarrassing moments in middle school gym, and (this is the fun part) download these cute checkered tray and fry pouch templates, please head over to Willow Bird Baking!
x-posted to picturing_food, food_porn, cooking
You need to make them! Don't be afraid of grinding your own meat -- it's so simple. Cut into chunks, freeze for 15 minutes, pulse in batches in the food processor. The results are worth it.
Regarding the fries, I probably would have destroyed any other recipe with my awful frying skills. This recipe, though, is dummy-proof, as long as you keep an eye on the pot (you don't even have to measure the temperature of the oil).
Enjoy!
Old-Fashioned Burger Stand Burgers
Recipe by: Cooks Illustrated
Yields: 4 burgers
Ingredients:
10 ounces sirloin steak tips, cut into 1-inch chunks (look for meat that has a striated texture to be sure you have the right cut. Flank steak may be substituted)
6 ounces boneless beef short ribs, cut into 1-inch chunks
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 soft hamburger buns (potato rolls)
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 slices American cheese (don't substitute! American cheese has the perfect texture for this recipe)
Thinly sliced onion
Classic Burger Sauce Ingredients:
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon sweet pickle relish
1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Mix ingredients for burger sauce and refrigerate it until you're ready for it.
2. Place chunks of meat onto baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart. Freeze until very firm, hard around the edges, but still pliable (15-25 minutes).
3. Grind meat in a food processor in two batches, using 10 to 15 one-second pulses and redistributing meat in the processor as necessary. Transfer the meat to a tray or baking sheet without touching it -- just overturn the processor bowl onto the tray. You want to touch the meat as little as possible from here on out. Discard gristle or hunks of fat.
4. Gently separate ground meat into 4 equal mounds using a spatula. Shape each mound gently (without picking it up) into a patty about 4 inches in diameter and thin (about 1/4 inch thick), leaving edges ragged and crevices in the burger. Season top of each patty liberally with salt and pepper. Use a spatula to flip patties and season the other side. Stick them in the refrigerator while you toast the buns.
5. Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until it foams. Toast 4 buns, tops and bottoms, in batches until golden brown. Set aside and wipe out the skillet.
6. Put skillet on high heat. Add oil and heat until just smoking. Using a spatula, put all 4 patties into the skillet and cook without moving for 3 minutes. Flip burgers over gently and cook for 1 minute. Top each with a slice of American cheese and cook for another minute.
7. Place patties onto bun bottoms and place sliced onions on top. Spread burger sauce on each bun top, cover burgers, and serve immediately.
Easy French Fries
Recipe by: Cooks Illustrated
Yields: about 2-3 servings
Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes (about 6 medium), scrubbed, dried, sides squared off, and cut length-wise in 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch batons (strips)
6 cups peanut oil
1/4 cup bacon fat, strained, optional
Kosher salt
Belgian-Style Dipping Sauce Ingredients:
5 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon table salt
Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients for Belgian-Style Dipping Sauce together and refrigerate until needed.
2. Put potatoes, oil, and bacon fat (if using) into a large Dutch oven or stock pot. Cook over high heat about 5 minutes or until the oil reaches a good rolling boil. Cook without stirring until potatoes are limp but their exteriors are firm enough to scrape stuck ones off the bottom without breaking. The original recipe says 15 minutes, but keep an eye on them and try a little early (gently).
3. Using tongs, stir potatoes, gently loosening any that are sticking to the bottom, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden the fries are golden brown and crisp, about 5 to 10 minutes longer. Use a slotted spoon to transfer fries onto a bed of paper towels over a baking sheet. Salt and serve immediately, while hot, which Belgian-Style Dipping Sauce.
To read about why these burgers are so tender and these fries are so easy, read about one of my embarrassing moments in middle school gym, and (this is the fun part) download these cute checkered tray and fry pouch templates, please head over to Willow Bird Baking!
x-posted to picturing_food, food_porn, cooking