burgers at home

It may not be the most practical thing to do these days with the number of popular hamburger fast food places around town, but we've been making burgers at home as a regular treat. I have to admit it's a lot of work since I also bake the burger bread or buns and make the fries as well. Despite the convenience of commercial burgers, we still prefer to make these hamburgers at home making use of better quality ingredients. Starting off with the ground beef patties, I like to get the lean and organic kind. I usually bring out our small but reliable food processor to finely chop fresh button mushrooms and onions which I like to add to the ground beef to keep it moist during the cooking. Then I season it with a simple salt, pepper and worcestershire sauce (optional). After forming the ground beef patties, they may be stored in a covered container and refrigerated while preparing the rest of the meal. I also have a platter with lettuce, spinach, cucumber, tomato and onion slices (shown below) ready for our make-your-own burger assembly.

I think yukon gold potatoes are good all purpose potatoes which work best for these homemade fries (shown above). I like to cut them in thicker strips with a wavy vegetable cutter. Then I blanch them in boiling water until they are half cooked. Using a colander, drain the potatoes well. Heat a pot of canola oil (about 1-2 inches of oil may be enough for these potato strips) and start frying the potato strips in small batches until lightly browned and crispy. Drain and transfer to a plate or bowl lined with paper towels then to a serving basket or plate. Season the fries with salt and pepper and serve hot with the burgers.

burger bread or buns for the burgers