If you have been around these parts for awhile, you know that just as much as I like my salads, sushi, and smoothies, I am also a sucker for good old, American pub grub! This summer I went to Battle of the Burger and there was another event hosted by Amstel Light, The Official Beer of the Burger, that I didn’t get to make it to, where Boston Chef Michael Schlow showed the group how to make one of his infamous burgers. I couldn’t resist sharing the recipe of his creation here. He uses crisp onions and a lemon horseradish sauce for a flavor packed juicy burger that I know I wouldn’t mind biting into! See below!

The “Fat Boy” Burger

Ingredients (yields 2 burgers)

Burger

• 18 ounces ground beef (80/20 combo)
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons prepared white horseradish
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 thick slices good quality Vermont or English cheddar cheese
• 2 brioche buns
• Salt and pepper

Crispy onions (makes about 1/2 cup, enough for 2 Schlow burgers)

• 1 large yellow onion, sliced into very thin rings, 1/3- to 1/8-inch thick
• 2 cups canola oil

Directions

• Combine the ground beef with the olive oil, salt, and plenty of black pepper.
• Divide the meat into two 9-ounce patties and refrigerate until the grill is ready.
• Combine mayonnaise, horseradish, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl and season with black pepper.
• Heat the grill to high.
• Take the hamburgers out of the refrigerator 5 to 7 minutes before you are ready to grill them.
• Place the burgers on the preheated grill and cook 1½ minutes (for rare).
• Give the burgers a quarter-turn to “mark” them, and cook 1½ more minutes.
• Flip the burgers over and cook 1½ minutes.
• Rotate a quarter-turn to “mark” and cook 1½ more minutes.
• Transfer the burgers to the grill’s top shelf or to a cooler section of the grill and cover each one with a slice of cheese.
• Turn the grill off and shut the lid.
• After 4 minutes, open the lid. The cheese will be melted and the burgers cooked rare to medium rare. Toast the buns, if desired, and place a burger on each.
• Spread plenty of the horseradish sauce on each burger; it should drip down the sides.
• Top with Crispy Onions and season with freshly ground black pepper.
• Slather more sauce on the other half of the bun and place it on top of the burger.
• Grab a cold beer and enjoy!

For the Crispy Onions:

• Place onion rings and oil in a small sauce pot.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce heat to a very low simmer. The heat releases the onion’s natural sugars, and in essence, causes them to melt.
• Turn the onions with a fork every thirty seconds or so, and cook until they turn golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Adjust the heat if needed to maintain a low simmer.
• Remove the onions from the oil and arrange in a single layer on paper towels. (At this point the onions won’t yet be crispy, but I promise you that after a few minutes, as the caramelized sugars cool and harden, the onions will become deliciously crisp.)

Source: Michael Schlow’s It’s About Time: Great Recipes for Everyday Life

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