Burgers. It's a celebration!

This blog now exists for 2 years - amazing how time goes by. And what had started as experiment and more of a recipe catalog for myself, now has lots of regular readers and over 100 facebook fans. Thank you so much!

My life is about to change drastically: I have quit my job (which I had for 11 years) and will now be a student again. I will be concentrating on web design, so don't be surprised if appearances or features of this blog change once in a while. Please don't be afraid to tell me what you like - and maybe don't like.

Real burgers have become some kind of celebratory meal for me, so while most of you watch the Superbowl, I will celebrate this blog's second anniversary and the changes that lie ahead.

BURGERS
makes 4

500 g / 1 pound beef, freshly ground
salt and pepper
4 burger rolls
8 slices bacon
1 large onion, cut into strips
4 thick slices Gruyère
mayonnaise (homemade)
ketchup
Dijon mustard
4 cornichons / gherkins


Since you never really know what stuff goes into store-bought ground meat, I like to process it myself. I simply buy stewing meat, cut it into strips and freeze them alongside the meat grinder for 30 minutes. Then process the meat, this makes it much easier.

Season the ground meat with salt and pepper, stir it all around and divide into 4 equal parts.


I like to shape the burgers by hand and then get them as flat as possible by squeezing them with something flat (like a cutting board) between layers of plastic wrap. Then let them rest in the fridge, as long as you're preparing the rest.


Cut the hamburger rolls in half and toast them in the dry and medium-hot pan. These were getting a bit darker than usual, but I like toasted bread. I basically toast every kind of bread.


Once all rolls are toasted, in goes the bacon. Lay out the strips and let them get nice and crunchy, then get them out of the pan and let them rest on some paper towels.


Uh, this is the part I like most: crank up the heat and brown the onions in the bacon fat. They should get soft and caramelized, but I like when they still have a little bit of bite in them.


Once you're done with all the preparations, very gently place the burgers in the hot pan and leave them completely alone until you see the edges browning and the juices coming out on top. Flip them over and immediately lay on a slice of cheese. Once the patty is also browned on the underside, assemble your burger. Serve with a nice cold beer and some rock'n'roll.