Brandon’s Delicious Burger (sliders) and Fries

Brandon’s Best Burger

I keep individual hamburgers in the freezer for when my teenage son gets hungry, which can be anytime of day. He can pull them out of the freezer and have them ready in no time. He does this regularly, and I try to keep hamburger buns around. One day, I ran out of buns ( happens), and he still made the burger and decided to experiment. He came up with a great seasoning and sauce. When his birthday rolled around, I decided to mix his ingredients (and a couple of others) in fresh hamburger meat so it is seasoned from the inside out!

I have to tell you, it was the juiciest, best tasting burger yet. You do not need any other condiments, but my son always likes raw onions and ketchup. I spiced up his ketchup and made him homemade fries. They were a BIG hit!

These can be made into regular sized burgers or sliders for that game day party.  They will disappear in no time.

BURGERS & Some Spicy Ketchup

Makes 6 quarter pounders (or about 10 – 12 sliders) – I made them slightly larger, so only had 5.

Burger Ingredients:

2 LB Ground Sirloin

1 TBS Steak Seasoning (found in the spice aisle of most supermarkets)

1 TBS Dijon mustard

3 TBS Worcestershire sauce

1.5 TBS ground black pepper (there are now seasoned peppers in the spice aisle – I used smoked pepper and Worcestershire flavored peppers)

1 TBS Garlic powder

1 tsp salt

2 TBS unsalted butter, softened at room temp – YES I SAID BUTTER, it adds fat to the lean sirloin meat – you can use Olive Oil or bacon fat instead if you prefer.

Spicy Ketchup:

1 cup Ketchup

1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

2 – 4 TBS your favorite HOT sauce (use as much as you can handle)

Other:

4 – 6 slices of your favorite cheese (if you wish) A sharp cheddar, sharp provolone or smoked gouda are good choices. You can even stuff it with a good blue cheese.

1 pkg of your favorite hamburger buns

1/2 white onion, sliced into 1/2 moons

Don’t forget the pickle chips

– Remove the ground meat from the fridge about 30 minutes before mixing.

– Preheat your oven to 375

1. Using a butter flavored spray, spray the insides of the buns. Lay them flat on a cooking sheet (or place them on the grill). Bake for about 5 minutes or until they are nicely browned.
2. Put the ketchup ingredients in a bowl and whisk/stir to mix. Put aside.
3. Mix by hand ALL the BURGER ingredients in a large bowl to combine. Don’t over mix, just make sure everything is distributed.
4. Taste. No, you don’t have to eat raw meat. Take about a 1/2 TBS of the mixture, flatten it, and nuke it for about 35 seconds. Then taste. Adjust any seasoning if needed, add salt, or whatever. I use this method to taste for meatballs as well. But, If you like raw – have at it.
5. Make your patties about 3 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. You should get about 5 – 6.
6. Get your pan or grill very hot.
7. Put the burgers in the pan/grill, poke a shallow indent in the center of the top (trick to have a flat burger, not a round one so everything slides off).
8. Cook until the burger will release on its own (about 3 – 4 minutes), then flip and cook another 3 minutes. If you have an instant read thermometer, the temp should be about 160 degrees. About a minute after you flip, add cheese if you are using. You can cover loosely to aid the cheese in melting.
9. Get a plate, put the buns on the plate, then the burgers on the bun. Leave the condiments aside for your guests to dress them as they wish. But it really doesn’t need much. the spicy ketchup is good on the fries too.

Homemade French Fries, for that special touch

Match Stick Cut

3 large russet potatoes, washed and sliced into thick match sticks (I leave the skins on): Place in a bowl filled with cold water

Deep 4 – 6 quart pot

approx. 32 oz vegetable oil (the oil should come 2/3rds up the sides of the pot)

Salt and Pepper

1. Put the oil in the pot and bring it to 350 degrees. Use a candy thermometer to track the temp.
2. Drain, then rinse the potatoes. Pat them completely dry using paper towels.
3. When the oil is at 350 degrees, in batches blanch the fries so they are cooked (about 3 – 5 minutes), but not browned. . Drain on paper towels.
   

   Blanched Fries – first pass

4. Once all the fries are blanched and cooled, you are ready for the second frying.
5. Bring the same oil to 375 degrees. In batches Fry the fries until they reach a nice golden brown (about 3 – 5 minutes).
6. Drain on paper towels and season with salt and pepper as soon as you take them out so the seasoning sticks.

That’s it! Serve immediately (with or without the spicy ketchup). I have to tell you, most never even make it to the plate. Have to do the taste testing thing.

NOTE: You can also use a mix of 85% hamburger, ground pork, and/or the meatball mix (pork, hamburger and veal). If you do, you can omit the butter as the rest has enough fat to keep it moist.