Caramelized Onion Gruyere Burger
Burgers are a favorite of mine because there are literally thousands of different versions you can easily make at home. Here is a Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Cheese Hamburger that is a pretty frequent player is my burger rotation. The onions are cooked until tender and golden brown and give off a sweetness that nothing like raw onion. And then the gruyere, similar to Swiss has a great nutty, savory flavor. I throw on some ketchup, mayo and mustard, but frankly the burger will taste great on it’s own. Hope you enjoy it!
Recipe Overview and Keys to Success
To make sure this burger comes up the best it can, just make sure to do the following:
- I like to use ground beef that 20% fat for burgers. The fat, provides more flavor, juice and a better texture.
- Let the hamburger patties come up to room temperature before cooking
- Make sure to season the ground beef before making the patties. That gives the salt and pepper a chance to season evenly through the meat, rather than just on top
- When cooking, use a nice hot pan, only flip the burger once, and don’t press down, unless you want a more dry hamburger – as pressing drives out the juice
- Finally, I like to make sure the cheese is melted, so put it on the burger right after the flip, and then cover the pan for the last couple minutes of cooking to ensure it melts nice and evenly.
- ¾ lbs of ground beef
- One medium yellow onion
- Gruyere cheese
- Extra Virgin Olive oil
- Hamburger buns
- Peel, core and slice the onion into ¼ inch strips
- Heat a medium to large sauté pan over medium heat and coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil
- Add the sliced onion and season with a couple pinches of salt
- Toss in the oil, and continue to cook, tossing every few minutes until caramelized – about 15 – 20 minutes
- Set the onions aside in a separate dish to cool
- Put the ground beef into a mixing bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix together
- Divide the meat in half, and form two hamburger patties; allow the patties to come to room temperature before starting to cook
- Wipe out/clean the pan you cooked the onions in, and put back over medium high heat
- Once the pan is hot, coat the bottom with a little olive oil, and add the hamburgers
- Allow them to cook for 2 – 3 minutes for medium, without flipping, pressing or otherwise touching
- Gently flip the burgers over, top with the caramelized onions, and the gruyere cheese, and then cover the pan with the lid, or a clean mixing bowl
- Cook for another 2 – 3 minutes, or until desired doneness
- Remove the pan, and allow the burgers to rest for about 2 minutes before serving
- Serve ‘em up with your favorite condiments and enjoy!
I think a good burger goes really well with just about any red wine, but my favorite is usually a Zinfandel. One of the more “American” grape varietals, it always seems a great casual wine to go with burgers cooked on the grill, or in the kitchen, and is a perfect match.
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