The Most Flavorful Burgers

Happy Friday everyone! Today I wanted to share with you a great recipe for burgers and fries that is perfect for the weekend. I have been making my burgers this way since my Junior year in high school (see: home page photo) and have been getting rave reviews ever since. A lot of professional chefs and home cooks prefer to form the patties and then season the outside with just salt and pepper before throwing on the grill or in the skillet. That's all fine and dandy, but I like to have a lot of flavors going on when I have a burger, which is why I add seasonings to the meat before I cook it. I find it makes a juicier burger that really leaves me, and my guests, satisfied. 

I also like to serve these with seasoned fries. A friend of mine took me to Bocado in Atlanta many many years ago and while their cheeseburger was fantastic, I really loved their herb fries. So I created my own version and am giving you that recipe now. Let's get started!

Here's what ya need for the burgers: *1 pound of ground chuck, preferably an 80/20 ratio, 1 tbsp ketchup, 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp Lawry's, 1/2 tsp garlic powder.

*This may not look like an entire pound, and that's because it's not. When my dad was here shooting these photographs, my husband had to leave for work so I took out a quarter of the meat and made him a quick burger before he left. So right now this is 3/4 of a pound - which means 1 pound = 4 people

Here are all of the ingredients together. It's also important to note that just like steak, hamburger meat does better when it's closer to room temperature. Its easier to form the patties when the meat isn't ice cold and they stick together better on the grill or in the skillet.

Mix it all together and form four patties from 1 pound of meat.

Place patties on a plate. 

And here's what ya need for the fries: a bag of your favorite frozen french fries, 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1 tsp fresh or dried dill.

Set the oven to preheat according to package directions for the fries, then throw however much you want on to a sheet pan. When you place the fries in the oven, start preheating the grill or skillet to medium-high for the burgers. If you're using a skillet, put about 2 tbsp of oil in the pan before adding the burgers. Then cook until brown on the first side, about 4 minutes, then flip. In the last minute of cooking on the second side (another 4 minutes), top with a slice of cheese of your choice. If the fries have a little more time, take the burgers off the grill/skillet, place on a plate, and cover loosely with foil until ready to serve.

While the fries are in the oven, mix together the topping. I used a mortar and pestle, which I absolutely love for mixing together spice rubs and flavoring like this. They're surprisingly affordable and look really pretty in your kitchen. Get mine using the link below!

Greenco Marble Mortar and Pestle, 3.75", White/Gray

The mixture should be well combined when finished.

When the fries have finished cooking, immediately sprinkle on the seasonings and toss to distribute. Sometimes I'll pop them back in the oven for a minute or two while I plate my burger to make sure the seasonings are really stuck on the fries and heated through.

And then make yo' plate! 

This is a great Friday night dinner for a family of four, or even one person! That's what's kind of great about both ground beef and frozen fries - you can portion them out. Place whatever ground beef you don't use into a Ziploc bag, squeeze the air out, and freeze. Frozen fries have directions on the side of the bag for 1/4 of the bag or 1/2 of the bag, so just cook 1/4 (because we all love fries) of the bag, or 1/8 of the bag and adjust the time down by about 3-4 minutes.

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
• 1 tbsp ketchup, plus more for topping, if preferred
• Worcestershire sauce, 2 dashes
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder, divided
• 1 bag frozen french fries of choice
• 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt
• 1 tsp fresh or dried dill
• Burger accouterments of choice: buns, cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion, ketchup, mayo, mustard

 

1. Bring beef to room temperature, at least one hour before cooking.
2. Place beef, ketchup, Worcestershire, onion powder, Lawry's, and half of garlic powder in a bowl. Mix together with your hands and form into 4 equal patties.
3. Place the patties on the plate and set aside.
4. Preheat oven according to directions on frozen french fry package.
5. When fries go into the oven, heat grill or skillet to medium-high heat for the burgers. If using a skillet, pour in 2 tablespoons of oil so the burgers don't stick.
6. Cook burgers for four minutes on the first side.
7. While the burgers are cooking, mix together the other half of the garlic powder, Parmesan, a sprinkle of salt, and dill in a mortar and pestle. Grind until a fine powder.
8. Flip burgers, cook for another 4 minutes, and top with cheese of your choice, if using.
9. Remove burgers from heat, place on a separate plate and cover loosely with foil while fries finish.
10. When fries come out of the oven, sprinkle with Parmesan garlic dill mixture, and serve alongside burgers.

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