It is the Americans who have managed to crown minced beef as hamburger, and to send it round the world so that even the fussy French have taken to le boeuf hache, le hambourgaire. Julia Child
In my book, an ordinary meal doesn't always have to be ordinary. My mother taught me that theory as a child. Rarely did we have simple meals. A new and different take on ordinary food was a must because, let's face it, we were picky, but we surely didn't want to eat the same four or five meals each week. Dad doesn't eat anything that has wings, Katie won't eat fish and I'm not particularly fond of pork therefore creativity was the name of the game in our household.
Growing up, we ate a lot of hamburgers on the weekends. They were tasty, dad could grill, and we could eat on paper plates, which was always a thrill for the girls in charge of cleanup duty.
Hamburgers are a staple in most every American diet, and they usually are presented the same way, with salty french fries or crunchy potato chips, a dill pickle spear and a Coca Cola Classic. While these are great accompaniments to a burger, there's nothing wrong with dressing up a hamburger with grownup sides and drinks.
Over the years, hamburgers have fought their way from very simple and humble beginnings to becoming a mainstay on almost every menu from neighborhood cookouts to upscale eating establishments. If a single hamburger can cost up to $200, then you know it's made its way into mainstream society.
If you ever watch Rachel Ray's cooking show or read her magazine, you know she is the self-proclaimed "Queen of Burgers." She has what seems like a million and one recipes for burgers with names like lamb sausage burgers, jerk pork cheeseburgers, spaghetti burgers, and even no-joke spinach-artichoke burgers. No ingredient is out of the question or too "out there" to make it into one of her burgers. I, on the other hand, prefer ground beef, a buttery toasted bun, good quality cheese, mayo and ketchup, but that doesn't mean I don't spice it up every now and then with out-of-the-ordinary sides.
For this particular meal, I started with deliciously fresh ground sirloin which is the perfect cut for juicy, meaty burgers. I then seasoned the patties with salt, pepper, and a dash of Texas dry rub for that little extra kick I like. A burger cannot set up camp on a plate without some sort of potato product nestled beside it. French fries at home are never as good as in a restaurant and potato chips are adequate for a turkey sandwich, but often not substantial enough for a hamburger so the only other acceptable starch was mashed potatoes. To update the greenery on the plate, I opted for more elegant asparagus bundles instead of a dill pickle. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a pickle, but we're in the business of out-of-the-ordinary for this meal.
It was the perfect balance of comfort and elegance that we were craving. Pour yourself a glass of cool pinot noir or pop open a Sam Adams Hefeweizen and enjoy the one of the first cool nights of the season with the updated classic hamburger supper.
Asparagus Bundles
Serves 2
10 skinny stalks of asparagus, washed and trimmed
2 scallions, cleaned
drizzle olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tbs. parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 400. Place asparagus stalks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place scallions on same baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes. Tie bundles with scallion. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and put back in oven for 5 minutes.
In my book, an ordinary meal doesn't always have to be ordinary. My mother taught me that theory as a child. Rarely did we have simple meals. A new and different take on ordinary food was a must because, let's face it, we were picky, but we surely didn't want to eat the same four or five meals each week. Dad doesn't eat anything that has wings, Katie won't eat fish and I'm not particularly fond of pork therefore creativity was the name of the game in our household.
Growing up, we ate a lot of hamburgers on the weekends. They were tasty, dad could grill, and we could eat on paper plates, which was always a thrill for the girls in charge of cleanup duty.
Hamburgers are a staple in most every American diet, and they usually are presented the same way, with salty french fries or crunchy potato chips, a dill pickle spear and a Coca Cola Classic. While these are great accompaniments to a burger, there's nothing wrong with dressing up a hamburger with grownup sides and drinks.
Over the years, hamburgers have fought their way from very simple and humble beginnings to becoming a mainstay on almost every menu from neighborhood cookouts to upscale eating establishments. If a single hamburger can cost up to $200, then you know it's made its way into mainstream society.
If you ever watch Rachel Ray's cooking show or read her magazine, you know she is the self-proclaimed "Queen of Burgers." She has what seems like a million and one recipes for burgers with names like lamb sausage burgers, jerk pork cheeseburgers, spaghetti burgers, and even no-joke spinach-artichoke burgers. No ingredient is out of the question or too "out there" to make it into one of her burgers. I, on the other hand, prefer ground beef, a buttery toasted bun, good quality cheese, mayo and ketchup, but that doesn't mean I don't spice it up every now and then with out-of-the-ordinary sides.
For this particular meal, I started with deliciously fresh ground sirloin which is the perfect cut for juicy, meaty burgers. I then seasoned the patties with salt, pepper, and a dash of Texas dry rub for that little extra kick I like. A burger cannot set up camp on a plate without some sort of potato product nestled beside it. French fries at home are never as good as in a restaurant and potato chips are adequate for a turkey sandwich, but often not substantial enough for a hamburger so the only other acceptable starch was mashed potatoes. To update the greenery on the plate, I opted for more elegant asparagus bundles instead of a dill pickle. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a pickle, but we're in the business of out-of-the-ordinary for this meal.
It was the perfect balance of comfort and elegance that we were craving. Pour yourself a glass of cool pinot noir or pop open a Sam Adams Hefeweizen and enjoy the one of the first cool nights of the season with the updated classic hamburger supper.
Asparagus Bundles
Serves 2
10 skinny stalks of asparagus, washed and trimmed
2 scallions, cleaned
drizzle olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tbs. parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 400. Place asparagus stalks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place scallions on same baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes. Tie bundles with scallion. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and put back in oven for 5 minutes.
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