Graham Elliot's Must-Try GrahamBurger Recipe
Graham Elliot is a critically acclaimed chef, restaurateur, and television personality who costars with Gordon Ramsay on Fox's hugely popular MasterChef and MasterChef Junior. He has traveled to all fifty states in search of the best food America has to offer and in 2008, his eponymous Chicago restaurant became one of fifteen restaurants in the United States to hold two Michelin stars. He has been nominated for multiple James Beard awards, as well. Elliot's new cookbook, Cooking Like A Master Chef, is available now from sister company Simon & Schuster.
In the first cookbook from Graham Elliot, cohost of the popular series MasterChef and MasterChef Junior, 100 deliciously creative recipes show home cooks the basics of cooking and combining flavors—and then urge them to break the rules and put their own spin on great meals.
The GrahamBurger
Prep Time: About 15 minutes, plus marinating
Cooking Time: About 40 minutes
(serves 4)
When it comes to the Grahamburger, less is more. Instead of loading a burger with bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, or whatever else lurks in the refrigerator, I've toned this down by creating a simple patty adorned only with Brie, onions, watercress, and garlic aiolo. Nothing More, I've had a million burgers in my life, and I'm pretty confident about this one!
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 ½ cups olive oil
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 pound ground sirloin beef
- 4 ounces ground pork
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 red onion, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 10 ounces Brie cheese, sliced into 4 thin pieces
- 4 pretzel rolls
- 1 bunch upland cress (see Note*)
- Put the garlic cloves and 1 cup of the oil in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the garlic is soft. Lift the garlic from the oil using a slotted spoon and transfer to a blender. Reserve any excess oil for another use. Add the mayonnaise and blend for 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth. Spoon into a small container and refrigerate until needed. The mayo can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- Mix the sirloin and pork and season with salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties, each about ½ inch thick. Refrigerate until ready to grill.
- Put the onion in a bowl and add the vinegar and remaining ½ cup oil. Season with salt and pepper. Let the onions marinate for at least 30 minutes, but longer if possible, 8 to 10 hours or overnight. (The longer, the better!)
- Prepare a charcoal or gas grill so that the coals or heating elements are medium-hot.
- Gently put the onion slices on the grill and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Turn them carefully so they don't slip between the grill grates.
- Put the burgers on the grill alongside the onions and grill for 7 minutes. Turn them over and grill for 7 minutes longer, or until cooked through. Three minutes before the burgers are done, lay one slice of the Brie on each burger to give it time to melt.
- Spread the mayonnaise on both sides of the rolls. Top with a cheeseburger and then garnish with onions and cress. Serve immediately.
NOTE*: Upland cress is very similar to watercress but is grown on dry land. Its peppery-tasting leaves are a little stronger than watercress, although one can be substituted for the other for most uses—and certainly the more familiar watercress works well here.
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