We’ve really been crazy about this one lately, and it’s become a recipe we cook more often than we should. It’s such a fancy feeling experience, but really it’s set apart by how it blows every other expensive burger out of the water. It is better than any extravagant burger I’ve gotten at a restaurant. This thing is packed with flavor and totally worth the little bit of extra effort to make the sauce. Try not to lick the plate. The sauce is a play on the Au Poivre I made here.
Ingredients
6oz beef patties seasoned with salt and pepper
Shredded gruyere cheese
Arugula
Buns (I made this with brioche and didn’t like it once, stick to a squishy white bread one)
Sauce
½ cup beef stock
½ cup Cognac or brandy
1 shallot
1 tbsp green peppercorns removed from brine
Thyme
Touch of heavy cream to thin it out
Salt/ black pepper
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp kewpie mayo (regular mayo works as well)
We'll start by making the delicious sauce that really sets this burger apart. Finely dice your shallot and remove the peppercorns from the brine. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté the diced shallot in half a tablespoon of butter until softened and translucent. Turn off the heat and add the cognac or brandy. It's important to let it sit for a few seconds to ensure you don't light the alcohol on fire. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook off almost all of the cognac. Add the beef stock, chopped peppercorns, and finely chopped thyme. Cook until the stock is almost completely gone. Stir in a splash of heavy cream (about 2 tablespoons) to thin out the sauce, and cook until the cream thickens the sauce. Season this with cracked pepper and salt. Set it aside to cool for a few minutes. Mix this into 2 tablespoons of kewpie mayo to make the sauce a perfect texture for our burgers.
I like this burger with thick cut steak fries, but you could totally skip this. Take 2 large washed and peeled russet potatoes and cut them into thick batons. To me, shoestring fries aren't the best for home frying, cause they can burn so easily. Rinse them in cold water and dry them completely. Get a dutch oven over medium heat, halfway fill it with vegetable oil, and bring it up to 275°F. We'll fry these twice, so the first fry is to just cook the inside. Fry the potatoes in batches for 5 minutes; they shouldn't take on much color at this point. Drain the fries on a cooling rack and cool them in the freezer for 30 minutes. Fry them again in 350°F oil until golden brown and delicious, about 5-7 minutes. Toss the fries in salt while they are still hot and there's a little oil still on them, then set them aside.
Form the 6 oz chuck patties into thick pub-style patties, slightly larger than the bun. To keep them from turning into baseballs, make a slight indent in the middle with your thumb.
Season both sides of the patty heavily with salt, and cover one side with cracked pepper for that pepper-crusted steak au poivre flavor. Dress a handful of arugula with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. At the stove, toast the burger buns and wipe out any excess oil from the pan.
Get the pan hot but not smoking like for a smashburger, medium is great for these thicker patties. Place the patty pepper side up and cook on medium heat. Look for the sides of the burger to turn grey as the meat cooks, which will take around 3 and a half minutes. Flip the patty and add shredded Gruyere cheese on top. Splash a little water in the pan and cover it to melt the cheese (about 2 minutes). Remove the patty from the pan once it's perfectly cooked, I like to judge by looking at the side of the meat, but you can use a thermometer for the thick bois.
To build the burger, spread a layer of the peppercorn sauce on the bottom bun. Add the dressed arugula onto that. Place the patty on the arugula with some fries on top if you're feeling bad. Add more of the peppercorn sauce, and be generous with it. Top it with the bun and enjoy an insane burger creation. Peppery, saucy, and crazy good. Cheers!
תגובות