The Best Burger Elaine Ever Ate

At least that's what she told me. Maybe she was flattering me, but I tend to think not. I was all alone in the house all day Saturday (cue violin music) and I used my time to make my loved ones a delicious meal - Grass Fed Beef Burgers with Bleu Cheese Sauce and Red Onion Jam. We have three basic components here: burger, bleu cheese sauce and red onion jam. Here's what happened.

Burgers

I used our CSA ground beef to make these and I don't think I am lying when I say that I really taste a difference. The meat is simply more flavorful and juicier and if these effects are psychological, I don't really care. They tasted awesome. I combined the ground beef with 1/2 a large onion (grated), salt, pepper, worcestershire sauce and a splash of whole milk - if I had cream, I would have used that instead. I formed them into HUGE burgers, at least the size of my head, and made an indentation in the center of each, as though you stuck a ping pong ball half way into the burger. This will keep the burger nice and flat when you cook it and it won't seize up into a ball. We like ours medium rare and these were so think that we actually need to cook them longer than usual to make sure they weren't completely raw.

Bleu Cheese Sauce

This isn't even a recipe: leftover chunk of bleu cheese, a little bit of plain yogurt (maybe a1/4 cup) and juice from half a lemon. Easy and delicious.

Red Onion Jam

You will need:

2 red onions

olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup red wine

Slice the onions super thin and sautee in the olive oil, seasoned with s&p. Once they are translucent (about 10 minutes) add the sugar and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Add the vinegar (carefully) and wine and stir to combine. Cook until all the liquid evaporates....about 20-30 minutes. You are left with an extremely flavorful, sweet and tangy marmalade type concoction. I can imagine this is an awesome addition to a grilled cheese on some pumpernickel bread. It was so easy and I think you'll really like it.

I chose not to serve any other garnishes with these, I think lettuce and such would just get in the way of tasting the condiments. The bleu cheese and red onion jam were great compliments to each other and definitely a hit here.