10.04.09
Sunday mid-day repast
It had been a long time since I’d made a classic cheeseburger at home. Two four-ounce angus patties, a red-onion slice, sauteed mushrooms, a handful of shredded cheddar jack, red-leaf lettuce, and a hefty dollop of full-strength Hellman’s mayonnaise. (I’m batching it this weekend.) I pondered my glorious creation, so precariously stacked, and gave myself one of those talking-tos that I administer from time to time. “Now, Barn,” I said, “You know you’re setting yourself up for a damn-it moment, don’t you? You know you’ll be determined to eat it as an intact unit of food and not let it fall apart into its various components. Look at it. Do you really think that’s possible?”
I can report that it worked out well enough for me to avoid getting on the express train to the damn-it zone. The main challenge is finding a bun that can stand up under that kind of heft. The one I used wasn’t up to the task. My last bite was patty and lettuce covered in mayo.
And let’s not talk about me. I need a shower, badly.
But was it fun? Let’s not fool with understatements here. It was exquisite.
Now I’m ready for the Colts – Seattle game.
Mr. Dings said,
October 4, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Was that enough broccoli to ameliorate the collateral cardiac karma
Bentnotesmanhisself said,
October 4, 2009 at 7:29 pm
I had given some thought to hash browns, but I decided the chlorophyll was the kinder route to go.
Gym this morning, bike ride this afternoon.
Now I’m asking myself permission to do ribs for supper.
Charred Leaf said,
October 6, 2009 at 3:41 pm
The wife and I still enjoy burgers pretty regularly. The older I get, the less I put on my burgers. I love the works, but I just know the tomato slice is going to create a shear plane with the lettuce and ruin the experience and I am only going to build the burger once. I know, put the tomato and lettuce on opposite sides. But you still have to contend with the onion slice. I guess I just chalk up “The Works Burger” to another one of those joys adulthood does not allow.
Bentnotesmanhisself said,
October 6, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Charred Leaf, how do you weigh in on the matter of toppings? Sometimes I’m a mustard-and-relish guy, sometimes mayo-and-dill-pickle-slices. One’s approach to building the sandwich kind of follows from that level of decision.
And I’m a one-or-the-other guy. I never understood the multiple-toppings school.
Re: the onion slice: if I grill the burger, I generally brush the onion slice with olive oil, sprinkle on a little salt and pepper, and give it some grill time as well. You want it as translucent – kind of a clinical term, but it shows up in a lot of recipes – as it would be if you sauteed it. Admittedly, you still have to really chomp down to keep the rings from unravelling.
Also, I had intended to use one eight-ounce patty, which would have been bigger in diameter, but the Marsh meat dept. didn’t have any. I guess I could have bought bulk and fashioned my own, but I was looking for that precise circular definition.
Charred Leaf said,
October 6, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Mayo, mustard with the occasional dip into the french fry ketchup pile. And if burger construction allows I enjoy the usual tomato, lettuce, pickle and onion. I do not go for the themed burgers like the mushroom and swiss or the southwest BBQ (BBQ sauce and onion rings) or the black and bleu. I generally do not think of the burger as an artist’s canvas. That said, have you heard of Boogie Burger in B-Ripple. All kinds of interesting toppings. One of the best burgers I have had in a while. And their garlic fries are killer!