Epic burger

A burger is a rare treat in this household and, I’ve gotta say, I’m usually quite boring when it comes to burger preferences: patty, American cheese, pickles, onions, lots of mustard.

Today, I’m breaking out of my routine and creating an epic burger—the first one of the year: special sauce, “shreddice” (shredded lettuce), patty, a blanket of white cheddar, homemade baked onion rings (!!), yellow mustard, and a lovely Ace brioche bun. I never do this, so this is a project.

Start with the best hamburger bun you can possibly find.

Now think about your condiments. Usually I’m just happy with mustard, but today I’m trying to break from the routine, so I’m making a special sauce: 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp ketchup, 2 tbsp diced dill pickle, 1 tbsp minced onion, a squeeze of lemon for brightness.

Now for the extra special topping: I’m making homemade baked onion rings that are so good and so easy to make, they’re going into my regular treat rotation. Slice two white onions 1/2″ thick. Separate them, removing any filmy skin in between the layers. Pop those into a bowl of cold water.

For the batter, get the mise en place ready: One bowl of all-purpose flour (1 cup) mixed with a pinch of salt and a pinch of baking powder; one bowl of 3 eggs, whisked; one bowl of regular breadcrumbs (1 cup) combined with panko breadcrumbs (1/4 cup). The regular breadcrumbs will adhere to the entire onion while the panko will give it crunch.

Time for assembly: Take an onion slice, dip it in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then the breadcrumb mixture, making sure the breadcrumbs really stick. Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and repeat until all of your onion rings have been dredged.

Those onions need a thin but generous drizzle of olive oil and then into a 400 F convection oven it goes. If you don’t have convection feature in your oven, raise the heat to 450 F. Cook on one side for 15 minutes, flip each onion ring, add another drizzle of olive oil, and cook for another 10 minutes or until those onion rings are looking crisp and golden. Voila!

Those can stay in a warm oven while the burgers cook.

Now, about the humble hamburger: I know most of us grew up with the hockey puck treatment of hamburgers—beef, breadcrumbs, egg, a ton of spices. Form into a kind of ball and grill. I much prefer a straightforward approach. Start with a good quality of ground chuck (lean). For 4 thin patties, divide 1 lb. of ground beef into 4 balls; for 4 heftier patties, divide it into 2 balls. Form into a flat patty and, using your thumb, create a dimple in the middle of the patty. Season with salt and pepper. Into a hot cast iron pan it goes (we do it on the BBQ, in the pan, on high heat) and cook until you’ve got a good brown crust on each side. Like this:

Time for cheese! I’m topping my burger with a few thin slices of sharp white cheddar and I’m topping Craig’s burger with a thin slice of Havarti—under the broiler to give it a good melt. Buns, cut side up, go under the broiler at the same time.

Ready to build my epic burgers. Craig’s first. He wants a plain bottom bun, topped with the havarti-blanketed burger. Diced white onion, two slices of pickles, and shreddice goes next. Top bun slathered in mayo and a swirl of yellow mustard completes the deal. He wants the onion rings on the side.

Now for my epic burger. Special burger sauce goes down on the bottom bun, then a handful of shreddice, because I think sauce and lettuce should go together.

Cheddar patty goes down next, topped with two onion rings. Yellow mustard goes on the top bun and we are good to go!

Why is this an epic burger? The creaminess of the special sauce, with the flavour hits of diced onion and pickle, is a star here—as is the crunchiness of the baked onion rings. The shreddice adds a hint of freshness and the cheddar burger is classic. It’s a huge burger—the most decadent burger I have ever made. What a great way to get out of my burger rut.

— Trish Hennessy