Schlow Burger

BURGERS:

18 ounces (510 g) ground beef (ask the butcher for 80 percent lean)

2 tablespoons (28 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

SAUCE

4 tablespoons (60 g) mayonnaise

2 teaspoons (10 g) prepared white horseradish

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

2 thick slices good-quality Vermont or English Cheddar

2 large hamburger buns, split in half (Flour Bakery or Brioche)

Crispy Onions (recipe follows)

Note: The sauce can be made up to three days ahead. The onions can be prepared early on the day they will be served.

Method:

In a large bowl, mix the ground beef with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Divide the meat into two 9-ounce (255 g) portions and shape into patties. Refrigerate until the grill is ready (do not do this more than an hour in advance).

Prepare a kettle grill for two-zone grilling. Clean the grill grate well with a stiff wire brush. Build a hot charcoal fire on one side. Leave the other side empty. This provides a cooler zone to finish cooking the burger.

While the grill is heating, in a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, horseradish, and lemon juice and season with black pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Five to 7 minutes before you are ready to cook, take the burgers out of the refrigerator.

Brush the grill with oil. Place the burgers on the grate and cook for 1 1/2 minutes (for rare). Give the burgers a quarter-turn to “mark” them and cook 1 1/2 more minutes. Flip the burgers over and cook for another 1 1/2 minutes. Rotate a quarter-turn to “mark” the other side and cook for 1 1/2 minutes longer.

Transfer the burgers to the cool side of the grill and cover each one with a slice of cheese. Cover the grill and cook the burgers for 4 minutes. Toast the buns, if desired.

To serve: Place a burger on each bun. Spread plenty of the horseradish sauce on each burger; it should drip down the sides. Top with Crispy Onions and season with fresh cracked black pepper. Slather more sauce on the other half of the bun and place it on top of the burger. YIELD: 2 burgers

CRISPY ONIONS:

1 large yellow onion, sliced into 1/3- to 1/2-inch (8 mm to 1 cm) thick rings

2 cups (475 ml) canola oil

In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the onion rings and oil to boil. Reduce the heat so the onions are gently frying.

Turn the onions with a fork every 30 seconds or so and cook until they turn golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. If the onions are not golden brown in 15 minutes, increase the heat.

Remove the onions from the oil and arrange in a single layer on paper towels or a paper shopping bag. (At this point they won’t be crispy, but after a few minutes, as the caramelized sugars cool and harden, the onions will become deliciously crisp.) YIELD: About 1/2 cup (110 g), enough for 2 Schlow Burgers

Schlow Burger