These burgers come ready to go without any additional spices, condiments, or cheese. The key is using very lean ground beef without less than 20% fat.
Preparation time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 15 minutes. Ready in: 30 minutes. This makes 6 generous burgers.
Equipment: a large mixing bowl and a few measuring cups and spoons, and a large cast iron skillet (or something similar). Wax paper is helpful for separating prepared patties before cooking.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1-1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup chopped and drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 tablespoon steak sauce
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons liquid smoke
Buns are optional. If you are using burger buns, be sure to toast them a little.
Directions:
- If your skillet is not well-seasoned, lightly oil the pan and put it over low heat.
- Into the mixing bowl, put in your beef, egg, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, salt, thyme, oregano, parsley flakes, and steak sauce. With clean hands, begin mixing all the ingredients together until evenly distributed. Divide into six equal parts and shape them into balls. Hand-press the balls into patties, separated by wax paper.
- These burgers will be delicate, so handle them carefully. Gently place the patties into the hot skillet. Don’t crowd them. Do it in two batches if necessary. Cook for five minutes. While they cook, sprinkle a few drops of liquid smoke on each patty. Turn them and continue to cook for another five minutes. If an instant-read thermometer read at least 160, they are ready, otherwise, flip again and cook for a few more minutes.
Because this meat is lean, you might want to move the patties straight to the buns. If they look greasy, drain them on paper towels before serving. Taste these before you add any condiments.
Nutritional Information:
This information is approximate for six servings of medium quarter-pound burgers.
Per serving: 345 calories, 26 g. protein, 4 g. carbohydrates, 25 g. fat, 82 mg. of cholesterol, and 1650 mg. of sodium.
Serving Ideas:
These make fantastic sliders, but they also fit a regular-size burger bun. I like to cut a large russet potato into French fries and put them in lots of oil over high heat. I use a set of tongs to turn them as needed. A big puddle of ketchup on the plate serves for dipping both the fries and the burger.
These are as good as any you will find in a restaurant because they are highly spiced. You can adjust the seasonings to your own personal taste. But don’t be afraid to try something new.
