Burgers, and One Side

If you love Burgers, today's post is sure to please. Check out the Bistro Onion Burgers, the Almost White Castle Hamburgers, and the rest of today's yumminess. Enjoy!

FRENCH ONION BURGER

This is from Bush's Beans site, and begins, "Ready to bring your burger game up a notch? Try this quick and easy French Onion Burger recipe. Topped with sautéed onions, Worcestershire sauce, and Gruyere cheese, this is a savory stack the whole family will love. This savory burger with BUSH’S® Brown Sugar Hickory Baked Beans takes less than an hour to make and uses simple ingredients that are easy to find at any grocery store. The burgers can be prepared using a skillet or a grill, making this recipe a staple for any season. To get the most flavor out of this burger, coat your bun of choice with a thin layer of butter and grill it on the same pan you used to sauté the onions. This will create a crispy, flavorful layer to your bun that tastes like the croutons in French Onion Soup. BUSH’S® Brown Sugar Hickory Baked Beans are a perfectly sweet complement to this savory entrée."

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes; Serves: 4

To view this online, go to https://www.bushbeans.com/en_US/bean-recipes/french-onion-burger.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup beef broth

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Worcestershire

1-1/2 lb lean ground beef

4 slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese

4 hamburger buns

1 can (16 oz) Bush's® Brown Sugar Hickory Baked Beans

Dijon mustard for serving

Directions

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat and sauté onion, stirring occasionally until deep golden, about 25 minutes.

Stir in beef broth, 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 teaspoon pepper then cook just until onions are glossy.

Mix beef with 1 tablespoon Worcestershire and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and form into 4 burgers.

Cook burgers in a skillet or grill until cooked to your preferred doneness.

Melt cheese over each burger.

Top burgers with Dijon mustard and serve with heaping spoonfuls of Bush's® Brown Sugar Hickory Baked Beans.

SMASH BURGERS

This is from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Sam wrote, "This is the traditional, griddled hamburger of diners and takeaway spots, smashed thin and cooked crisp on its edges. It is best to cook in a heavy, cast-iron skillet slicked with oil or fat, and not on a grill. For meat, ask a butcher for coarse-ground chuck steak, with at least a 20 percent fat content, or grind your own. Keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook, and try not to handle it with your fingers — use an ice-cream scoop or spoon instead. Plop down a few ounces in the pan, smash it with a spatula, salt it, let it go crisp and flip. Add cheese and get your bun toasted. The process moves quickly."

Yield: 4 to 8 servings; Time: 20 minutes

This as featured in "Deconstructing the Perfect Burger", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016595-smash-burgers.

Another like you should check out to to Sam Sifton's guide, "How to Make Burgers". Even if you've been making burgers almost forever, it's still well worth checking out.

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon neutral oil, like canola, or a pat of unsalted butter

2 pounds ground chuck, at least 20 percent fat

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

8 slices cheese (optional)

8 soft hamburger buns, lightly toasted

Lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes and condiments, as desired

Directions

Add oil or butter to a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet and place over medium heat. Gently divide ground beef into 8 small piles of around 4 ounces each, and even more gently gather them together into orbs that are about 2 inches in height. Do not form patties.

Increase heat under skillet to high. Put half the orbs into the skillet with plenty of distance between them and, using a stiff metal spatula, press down on each one to form a burger that is around 4 inches in diameter and about 1/2 inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook without moving until patties have achieved a deep, burnished crust, a little less than 2 minutes. Use the spatula to scrape free and carefully turn burgers over. If using cheese, lay slices on meat.

Continue to cook until meat is cooked through, approximately a minute or so longer. Remove burgers from skillet, place on buns and top as desired. Repeat process with remaining burgers. Serving two hamburgers on a single bun is not an outrageous option.

BBQ BAKED BEANS

Can you really have burgers without baked beans? This is from the Food Network, and begins, "BBQ baked beans are a summer staple. This shortcut version relies on ordinary canned baked beans, which we dress up with fresh peppers, onions, cider vinegar and barbecue sauce. The sweet and tangy side dish is perfect for a summer barbecue, picnic, potluck or weeknight dinner. The beans taste even better the next day, so they can be prepared ahead of time and reheated or served at room temperature."

Active Time: 25 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes; Yield: 6 servings; Level: Easy

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

8 slices bacon (about 8 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

Two 28-ounce cans baked beans

1 cup barbecue sauce

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons yellow mustard powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat an oven-proof heavy-bottom pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until the fat has started to render and the bacon is beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and bell pepper and continue to cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the canned beans, barbecue sauce, molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire, brown sugar, mustard powder, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Bring to a simmer and let cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the pot to the oven and bake (uncovered) until the sauce thickens and the beans on top begin to brown, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature.

ALMOST WHITE CASTLE HAMBURGERS

This comes from Chef Doozer on the Genius Kitchen site. Time: 20 minutes; Serves: 12

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1-1/2 lbs ground chuck

1 (4 tablespoon) envelope onion soup mix

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons water

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

24 small square dinner rolls

American cheese (optional)

pickle (optional)

Sauce

1/2 cup mustard

1/2 cup ketchup

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Hamburgers: Mix first 6 ingredients and press into an ungreased 10 by 15 inch jelly roll pan.

Prick with a fork.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Drain off juices (if there's a lot of excess).

Cool.

Cut into 24 squares.

Place squares on dinner rolls.

Combine mustard and ketchup and spread on rolls.

Top with pickles and cheese, if desired.

This makes 12 servings of 2 hamburgers each.

BISTRO ONION BURGERS

This comes from FamilyTime, and begins, “Are you looking for a quick and easy dinner that everyone will love? Try these burgers that use dry onion soup mix to add a savory touch.”

Serves: 6 servings; Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 10 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 envelope (about 1 ounce) dry onion soup and recipe mix

3 tablespoons water

6 Pepperidge Farm® Farmhouse™ Premium White Rolls with Sesame Seeds, split and toasted

lettuce leaves

tomatoes slices

Directions

Thoroughly mix the beef, soup mix and water. Shape the beef mixture into 6 (1/2-inch thick) burgers.

Cook the burgers in batches in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until well browned on both sides, 10 minutes for medium or to desired doneness.

Serve the burgers on the rolls. Top with the lettuce and tomato.

AL’S VEGGIE BURGER

This is from TODAY’s Al Roker. The recipe begins, “TODAY's Al Roker may make a mean patty melt, BBQ brisket and rack of ribs, but he's also makes a great veggie burger. A mixture of black beans and mushrooms forms the base of his hearty and filling patties that are topped with a creamy and spicy Sriracha mayo. Serve the burgers with Al's Baked Sweet Potato Fries and you've got fast, easy and delicious meatless dinner for four.” Servings: 4.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 cup white onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans black beans, drained

10 medium button mushrooms, stems removed

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 egg

1/2 cup cooked brown rice

1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

1/4 cup Sriracha

1/2 cup mayonnaise

4 whole wheat buns

6 leaves Bibb lettuce

1 tomato, sliced

1 avocado, sliced

Preparation

In a large non-stick skillet, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sauté the garlic and onion until cooked. Set aside.

In a food processor, add 1 can of the drained black beans and the mushrooms. Pulse five to six times. The mixture should be slightly chunky.

In a large bowl, combine the bean and mushroom mixture, cooked onions and garlic, second can of drained black beans, cumin, salt and pepper, egg, brown rice and whole wheat bread crumbs. Mix together until combined and then form into 4 burger patties.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a non-stick skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the patties and brown them on both sides. Place the burgers in the oven and cook until the center is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, add the Sriracha and mayonnaise. Stir to combine.

To build each burger, smear the Sriracha mayo on the bottom buns, then add the burger, lettuce, tomato, avocado and top bun.

Serve with Al's Baked Sweet Potato Fries and extra Sriracha mayo on the side.