wagyu burgers

we did a little food walking tour on saturday.

on our way to nicky's (i couldn't make it the whole way - so starving), we stopped at artichoke, for a slice of the sicilian and a slice of the artichoke pizza, which basically tastes like a creamy artichoke dip on top of crusty flatbread. i think i preferred the sicilian this time...the tomato sauce was the edge.

with a nice base in our bellies, we headed over to nicky's for vietnamese iced coffees and split a spicy, classic bahn mi. this visit solidified my desire to never again pay more than 6 dollars for a bahn mi! nicky's hoagies are da bomb. (yes i'm bringing that back.) loaded with pâté, vietnamese ham, roasted ground pork, the crunchy baguette is also topped with a pile of pickled carrots, cucumbers, cilantro and jalapeno. with a gratuitous squirt of sriracha, this sandy puts me in a happy place. a realllly happy place.

at this point, we should have probably stopped thinking about food for at least a couple hours. but, never! we walked over to japan premium beef on great jones street, which has got to be the best street in the city. japanese wagyu retailers, artsy boutiques and firemen! jk. (not really.) picked up a pound of ground wagyu beef, for literally 5 dollars!! not only is the ground beef super affordable for wagyu, these are the best-dressed and most polite butchers you will ever meet. look below! he's smiling!!!!



images by melissa horn, nymag



anyway, we turned all that glorious meat into some pretty handsome burgers. since we were using good quality meat, we wanted the shining flavor to be the meat, so we used few ingredients in the actual patties.

ingredients
1 lb of ground meat
3 tbs of olive oil
1 to 2 tbsp of good quality mustard, plus more for spreading on buns
lot's of freshly ground pepper
kosher salt
buns, preferably brioche or potato
3 tbs of butter
1 large spanish onion, about 2 cups chopped
1 tbs of sherry vinegar
1 tsp of fresh, chopped thyme
additional toppings: cheese (we used a comte, for its meltiness factor), mayo, tomato, lettuce, pickles

what you'll need
mixing bowl
tray or baking sheet, covered with wax paper
saran wrap
knife
cutting board
saute pan
large, shallow pot
wooden spoon
spatula

prep
mix the meat, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper. do not over mix the meat. form two to three patties and pack it tightly. if you have time, wrap each patty individually in saran wrap and refrigerate overnight.

add two tablespoons of butter and a glob of olive oil to a pot over medium heat. once the butter has melted, add onions and saute over medium-low heat for 20 to 30 minutes. note: the longer this process takes, the better. the onions should be soft, sweet and golden brown, but definitely not burnt. add vinegar and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. cook for another 5 minutes. keep warm.

meanwhile, add olive oil to coat the bottom of the grill pan or saute pan (over medium-high heat - oil should be shimmering, not smoking). add the burger patties and sear for 3 minutes. flip and there should be a nice caramelized crust. if you feel like being totally indulgent, drizzle a little bit of clarified butter on top of the patties. i mean, butter makes everything taste better. either way, immediately add cheese slices and cover the pan so that the cheese melts. cook for another couple minutes (depending on thickness) and serve burgers, with the caramelized onions and on the buns.