The IK Basic Burger

September 15, 2015

Restaurant menus offering hamburgers with overly fancy toppings or exotic fillings make me extremely nervous. No, I don’t want artisanal French cheese, hand-foraged field mushrooms, or Iberian ham atop my burger. Tapenade doesn’t belong inside a burger, though I once followed a misguided recipe calling for just such a combination. And foie gras burgers, for some the ultimate in dining chic, are just wrong. They don’t belong together. Foie gras is a delicacy meant to be served, at best, with a few grapes and a glass of Sauternes. Hamburgers represent casual American eating at its finest, needing only salty, greasy fries and a cold beer.

And when said burger, with house-made-catsup-from-tomatoes-up-the-street, Vermont Ph.D. cheesemonger’s Cheddar, and basement-cured pancetta, all arranged on a wood-oven-baked spelt bun, costs $30, with fries a la carte, I am moved to order the fried chicken. That $30 buck burger may be terrific, but I can rustle up a decent approximation at home for far less, including those a la carte fries. Not so fried chicken. Restaurants have heavy-duty deep fryers, professional ventilation systems, and companies to cart away their used cooking oil. On the other hand, not for nothing is this blog called “The Insufficient Kitchen.”

These burgers get their boost from judicious applications of Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces. You want a gentle frisson of flavor, not to set your tongue afire.

This meal is transgressive: all those carbs from the bun and potatoes, no salad. Not a meal you’d serve to Marion Nestle. Nor is it nightly dining. But occasionally, a basic burger is just the thing.

The IK Basic Burger with Oven Fries

serves 2-4 people, depending on appetites

one pound ground beef, preferably organic, with a decent amount of fat

2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

optional:

buns

your favorite cheese, thinly sliced, for topping

thinly sliced onion

thinly sliced tomato

avocado

Sauce:

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 tablespoon catsup

1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce

Potatoes:

three russet potatoes

olive oil

salt

Mix Tabasco and Worcestershire sauces into the ground beef and form into patties. Allow patties to rest 4-24 hours, refrigerated. Don’t fret if rest time is impossible. Just mix everything together right before cooking.

To cook burgers: heat a seasoned cast iron skillet or ridged grill pan to medium-high heat. A heavy nonstick pan can be used so long as surface can tolerate high heat. Cook burgers approximately 5 minutes per side, turning at least once for medium-well interior, 7 minutes a side for well-done. I like to add sliced onions to the pan to cook alongside the burgers.

Fans of rare burgers: start with 3 minutes a side, checking discreetly with a knife. Rare burgers are a fine thing so long as your meat is impeccably fresh.

For optional sauce: mix mayonnaise, catsup, and Sriracha in a small bowl.

For oven fries: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line an 11×13 baking sheet with foil. Scrub and slice potatoes lengthwise. Whether or not to peel is your choice. Lay the potatoes on the baking sheet, pour over a bit of olive oil, salt liberally. Cook for one hour ten minutes.