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Burger Plate
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- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 1small Vidalia or yellow onion, peeled and trimmed
- 1pound lean ground beef (90-10) or plant-based ground meat
- ¼cup panko bread crumbs
- 4teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 4teaspoons ketchup, plus more for serving
- 2teaspoons dark brown sugar
- ¼teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
- ½teaspoon black pepper
- Neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola oil, or light olive oil
- 4slices American cheese or sharp Cheddar (optional)
- 1pound Campari, cocktail or other small tomatoes, halved or cut into wedges if large
- 4dill pickle spears, halved
- 4thick slices chewy white bread, such as sourdough, toasted and halved
- Yellow or Dijon mustard, for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Using a Microplane or other fine grater, finely grate about 1 tablespoon of the onion from the root end into a large bowl and set aside. Slice the remainder of the onion crosswise into ½-inch-thick rings, add to a separate small bowl and fill with cold tap water. Soak the onion rings in the refrigerator to mellow out.
- Step 2
To the bowl with the grated onion, add the ground beef, panko, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, brown sugar and nutmeg. Season with the salt and pepper. Form the beef into 4 patties (about 1-inch thick).
- Step 3
Heat a large skillet over medium. Add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan and wait until it’s shimmery. Carefully add the patties to the pan and cook until browned and caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Step 4
Remove the pan from the heat, top each patty with a slice of cheese and cover the pan until the cheese is melted and the hamburgers are no longer pink on the insides, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Step 5
To serve, evenly divide the cheese-topped patties, the tomatoes, pickles and bread among 4 plates. Drain the onions and add to the plates, along with a squirt each of ketchup and mustard. Eat with a knife and fork or, if you’d like, sandwiched between the bread.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
Oh -so it's kind of like a hamburger that you don't assemble. Thanks for the recipe - genius!
I would swap the cheddar for American cheese. American cheese, while not what I'd want to eat on a charcuterie plate, is the ideal cheese for a cheeseburger for its taste (on the burger), mouthfeel, and meltiness. Just look at the cheddar in that otherwise nice photo- just like in real life, it's sweaty and oily and congealed, rather than smooth and melted.
I love this recipe. I actually do a nice version called the “cheeseburger salad” where i prep everything just like this then assemble it nice and high on a cutting board (without bread) and then cut it four times sideways (like a pizza). The result is a big mess of full-yum bite size forkfulls that are hi protein, lo carb, and pure heaven. Oh boy, lunch is served!
Been doing this for years. Wife thinks I'm nuts when I order a burger in a restaurant without the bun and ask for extra onions, pickles and tomatoes on the side.
I'll put in a plea for using aioli instead of mustard and ketchup. I like to use an aioli with smoked paprika (1 cup mayo, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, and about 2 tsp of smoked paprika).
The flavor combination of Worcestershire, ketchup, nutmeg and brown sugar was off-putting in the extreme. I’ll try these again, subbing dry mustard for nutmeg and losing the brown sugar altogether
Nearly impossible to get Walla Walla sweets (from eastern Washington) on the East Coast, Vidalias (from Georgia) where we and the NYTimes live are everywhere. Maybe that's why.
I love this recipe. More depth than a regular burger and the deconstructed plate works for me.
A hamburger without green chile ……. Is just sad! Viva New Mexico!
This is how I make my burgers no matter the presentation - for 1lb beef I also add an egg - juicy, tasty and always a hit with friends and family
Nice, but I think the whole thing should go on a bed of arugula, with some balsamic.
The flavor combination of Worcestershire, ketchup, nutmeg and brown sugar was off-putting in the extreme. I’ll try these again, subbing dry mustard for nutmeg and losing the brown sugar altogether
I made the hamburger steak as written (1/2 recipe). Delicious but the seasonings slightly overwhelmed the beef. I'll try it with half the sugar and ketchup next time. Extra-sharp Cheddar melted beautifully. I did caramelize the sweet onion. Yum! If it hadn't been a chilly evening I'd have served as written though. Sourdough toast and a little balsamic and olive oil on the Camparis. Dill pickles as written. We thought it plenty juicy and tasty without extra condiments.
Discovered there's more than one kind of Panko - which one would be best for this recipe?
I just made this with a chunk of Beyond meat and shallots (all other ingredients the same) and it was amazing! Two minutes on each side made a nice crispy crust and it held together in the pan. Low effort, high reward.
Pie and Burger is So-Cal’s answer to Katz’s, not in terms of cuisine, but because it’s as indigenous as it can be, unchanged and unpretentious. Visit, and you’ll get a taste of what So-Cal once was, and still is, in isolated pockets visitors seldom see. Try and resist “improving” the recipe until you’ve tasted the original. It’s amazing.
imho, there is no answer to Katz's !!
This is great with Thousand Island dressing (special sauce with relish).
I have made variations on this theme for some time. My husband loves hamburgers but doesn't want the bun. Sometimes it's a hamburguesa plate - grilled burger, corn on the cob, salad with cotija cheese all around. Sometimes a French influence - burger with bleu cheese, bibb lettuce with mustard vinaigrette and toasted baguette. Many possibilities!
This looks good. Ground beef, and even high-quality ground beef, is just not very interesting by itself. I often add a lot of herbs (for example, chopped dill). I'll be trying this.
Personally, I think onion rings should take the place of the onions. That will be more popular in my house. Anyone have something creative for lettuce?
I keep seeing "chewy white bread" as an ingredient for NYT recipes. Don't exactly know what this is. Would sourdough work ?
I'm guessing anything with a toothsome crust and not just Wonder Bread is what they're going for there.
Try rye bread. It is different but a nice taste with a 'burger.
Always wondering about the default recommendation of Vidalia onions instead of the superior Walla Walla Sweet.
Vidalias are always superior onions!
Nearly impossible to get Walla Walla sweets (from eastern Washington) on the East Coast, Vidalias (from Georgia) where we and the NYTimes live are everywhere. Maybe that's why.
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