|
Gourmet Beef Burger Stacks
From Stacks:
The Art of Vertical Food
2
pounds ground sirloin beef
6 tablespoons blue cheese
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 slices (preferably herbed) Brie
Roasted
tomatoes (see shortcut tips below):
6 tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Mushrooms:
3 large portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste |
|
Potato
chips (see shortcut tips below):
3 sweet potatoes or russet potatoes, peeled and sliced very thin
4 cups vegetable oil for frying, or enough to submerge the potatoes
in while frying
2 teaspoons (preferably sea) salt
Spicy
onions:
2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 onions, sliced paper thin
4 cups vegetable oil for frying
2 teaspoons (preferably sea) salt
To
serve:
6 (as thick as available) hamburger buns, split
2 bunches watercress, washed, trimmed, and dried
6 tablespoons Dijon mustard
To
prepare burgers: Divide the beef into 6 even patties. Bury
1 tablespoon of blue cheese (a solid piece, not crumbled) into
the center of each burger, enclosing it completely. Reshape patties
and sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper.
To
prepare tomatoes: Place the tomatoes in a single layer on a
12-by-17-inch sheet pan. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt, and pepper.
Drizzle with oil and bake at 300°F for 3 hours, or until the
tomatoes are almost dried but still have some moisture. Set aside.
To
prepare mushrooms: Slice the mushrooms and sauté in butter
until rich and glossy looking. Season with salt and pepper. Keep
warm.
To
make the potato chips: Heat the oil to 425°F. Carefully
fry the potato slices until lightly browned and crisp. Drain on
paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Set aside.
To
make the onions: Mix together the flour and the cayenne. Set
aside. Heat the oil to 425°F. Just before frying, dredge the
onions in the flour mixture. Shake well to remove excess flour.
Fry until golden brown, drain, sprinkle with salt. Set aside.
To
assemble: Ten minutes before serving, grill or pan-fry the
patties until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Place a slice of
Brie on top of each hot patty and allow to melt. Toast or grill
the buns and spread generously with mustard. Divide watercress
into 6 portions and place on the bottom of buns. Layer in the following
order: 1 beef patty, 3 slices roasted tomatoes, 3 slices sautéed
mushrooms, 4 potato chips, and a generous dollop of fried onions.
Serve immediately, with tops of buns leaning against the stack.
Yields 6 servings.
Planning-ahead
tips: Stuff the beef patties and chill. Roast the tomatoes the
day before and chill. Make the sweet potato chips early in the day.
Sauté the mushrooms 1 hour prior to serving.
Shortcut
tips: Purchase sweet potato chips (or potato chips, if sweet
potato chips are not available). Substitute store-bought, sun-dried
tomatoes for the roasted tomatoes.
(Updated: 10/28/08 SN) |
