Plain.Recipes

"21" Club Burger

Source: cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9367

Ingredients

  1. 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) at room temperature
  2. 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
  3. 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
  4. 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
  5. Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  6. 24 slices ripe red tomato
  7. 16 thin slices red onion
  8. 1 1/2 cups olive oil
  9. 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  10. 6 pounds fresh chuck
  11. Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  12. 16 1/2-inch-thick slices Italian country-style bread, toasted
  13. 1/2 cup olive oil

Directions

  1. For the herb butter, place the butter, basil, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
  2. Place it on plastic wrap, and loosely fold the wrap over.
  3. Roll it into a log and freeze.
  4. For the salad, combine the tomatoes, onion, olive oil and lemon juice in a nonreactive bowl.
  5. For the hamburgers, remove the butter from the plastic wrap and cut into 8 cylinders.
  6. Divide the meat into 8 equal balls.
  7. With each ball, make an indentation with your thumb, press a butter cylinder in and close the meat over the butter.
  8. Shape each ball into a 1-inch-thick patty, and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.
  9. Grill, broil or fry the patties in a preheated cast-iron skillet for 4 minutes per side over medium-low heat for medium rare.
  10. Brush the toast with the olive oil and grill under a broiler until both sides are golden.
  11. Center each hamburger on 2 slices of the toast, top with the salad garnish and eat with a knife and fork.