Skip to main content

A Really Good Burger

As someone who is dedicated to a mostly meatless lifestyle, it doesn't happen all that frequently, but there are the occasional moments when I crave a good old-fashioned hamburger. And this was one of those weekends. But it wasn't a craving for a fast food burger, but one of those thick and juicy gourmet ones that you can usually only find at a diner or bar. But since it's no fun to get a burger at a diner or bar on my own, I got myself down to the Fresh Market, picked up a nice package of extra lean ground beef, and went to town to create my own really good burger. Here's what I came up with:

First, I fried up some fresh onions, using a combo of red and yellow, and cooked them way down until they were completely caramelized. 

While the onions were cooking, I took 1/3 pound of the ground beef, and mixed in the rest of my jar of shallots (roughly a tablespoon or two). I also added some garlic powder, and some chili powder, and maybe a 1/2 teaspoon of Thai red curry paste. Then I mixed it all up by hand, and made a nice patty out of it.

After the onions were done, I moved them to the back of my grill pan, and cooked up the burger. It was pretty perfect - crusty brown on both sides, and medium in the middle. The burger now cooked to perfection, I piled on the onions, and some grated colby jack cheese.

For a burger of this level of magnificence, no ordinary bun will do. You need some bread that will stand up to it. So I also picked up a couple of fresh kaiser rolls from the bakery, and while the cheese was melting, I sliced one of the rolls in half, buttered it, and grilled it. Then for the piece de resistance, I took some mayo, ketchup, and a splash of sriracha sauce and stirred it all together to make a hearty dipping sauce.

Then I put it all together, served it up, and voila! My own creation of a really good burger!

I wish I had thought to take a picture of this pile of deliciousness, but by the time it occurred to me, my really good burger was about halfway gone. Needless to say though, it was fabulous, and is going to be my go-to homemade burger from now on whenever the craving strikes me.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Goals

One of my goals this year is to go on a backpacking trip. It's something I've always wanted to do, but been too intimidated to try. Well, a few weeks ago, one of the girls in the Ward invited me on a backpacking trip to the Uinta's this summer. This time I immediately said yes. All was well until a few days later when reality set in and the thought of carrying 30-35 pounds of pack on my back while hiking in rough terrain just about made me cave. I did not have all the gear I would need, nor was I in good enough shape. The gear is something easily worked out. Most of it I can either purchase myself, or borrow from highly motivated friends. The physical conditioning was another matter altogether, so I decided it was time to get in better shape. I've been pretty good at exercising regularly, and I'm in ok shape for someone approaching a milestone birthday (if I say so myself). But I knew I needed to put in some extra miles, as well as add strength to my legs ...
3 comments
Read more

New 'Do

For probably the last 10 years or so, I've had pretty much the same hairstyle. For the most part, it's been long, all one length, and I would eventually put it up in a ponytail almost every day, because I couldn't stand having it in my face. It drove me crazy, but I didn't know what to do with it, and at the same time, I liked that I could basically get up and go every day without a lot of effort. For the past several months now, I've been threatening to do something different and drastic, and finally, yesterday, I did. At the recommendation of Angel, I made an appointment with her stylist. It took several weeks to get in, but finally, the day arrived. Angel went with me, for moral support, and to be the photographer. I went in with some basic ideas, but after some consultation and looking at photos with Francine, this is what I ended up with. First, the "before" shot: In process: And finally, the finished product: I can't remember the last time...
6 comments
Read more
Hi, my name's Tracie and I'm a Mormon. That being said, I've provided enough context for the conversation I had with the receptionist at work today: Christy: (Showing me a photo) What picture is this movie from? Me: Mmmm, Serendipity maybe? Christy: No...you should know this. Me: I should? Christy: (Finally) It's from the movie "Charlie"! Me: How would I know that? I don't watch Mormon movies. They're dumb. Now that I've let the cat out of the bag, I guess I should also confess that I also don't listen to Mormon pop music (other than the original recording of The Forgotten Carols), or read Mormon fiction. So sue me. Let's face it, it's not like most of them are of real quality anyway. When it comes to Mormon music, I'll stick with my MoTab and the hymns of Zion.
5 comments
Read more