The inspiration for this recipe comes from a trip my wife and I took from Minnesota to Kentucky in a one way rental car to purchase and drive home her next car, a cherry red Pontiac Grand Prix GT with black leather interior.
On the marathon drive home after hours and hours on the road we finally stopped to eat. I was so hungry I ordered a wedge salad appetizer while waiting for the main course. To this day I don’t know if was the exhaustion from the trip of if it really was the best wedge salad in the world!
In this recipe I combine my secret recipe for the juiciest, most tender burgers with the flavors of a wedge salad to create this Wedge Burger that’s hard to beat! Enjoy!
“The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of… We know the truth not only by the reason, but by the heart.”
LOVE WHAT YOU DO. DO WHAT YOU LOVE.
To Start
This recipe uses real mayonnaise and shredded cheddar cheese blended into the ground beef to keep the patties moist and provides for a richness in the flavor profile. Worcestershire sauce along with salt and pepper are added for flavor.
Hamburger Patties
Next you will combine the ingredients by hand until well blended and then form into burger patties and get ready to fry them up. Dimple the center a bit as this helps them achieve a better (flatter) final shape, burgers tend to swell in the center more than on the edges.
Ready for the pan!
The Cook
Heat up your fry pan and place burgers in one at a time and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. I place a cover loosely over the pan to help steam the burgers a bit, keep the cover slightly cocked open, not sealing shut entirely.
Cook and steam for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove lid and turn burgers to other side. Put cover back over the pan, again with it slightly cocked open so as not to fully seal shut. Cook and steam for 3 minutes or so.
Remove cover and check for doneness. Juices bubbling out of burgers should be clear or brownish. Redness in the juices indicate they’re not quite done. You can also continue to flip and/or move the patties around a bit to evenly brown the patties if your heat is uneven as you finish up the cook on these. The best way to verify doneness is to use an instant read meat thermometer and cook until you achieve a minimum temperature of 160 degrees F.
Ready to plate!
Top with lettuce, bleu cheese, and balsamic vinegar glaze! Balsamic glaze is also sometimes called balsamic reduction.
Of course with all my recipes, please feel free to experiment with different flavors, spices, quantities and methods until you arrive on your new favorite! This is the joy of cooking, in my opinion…and how I arrived at most of my recipes! If not, these are great made just as described below! If you’re looking for another classic ground beef recipe check out my Homemade Sloppy Joes!
Ingredients
- The burgers:
- 1 pound 85/15 ground beef (or leaner)
- 1-1/2 tbsp. real mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (swiss or monterey jack will work as well)
- salt and pepper to taste
- To serve:
- 4 brioche buns
- 2 tbsp. (qty. approximate) balsamic glaze (a thickened balsamic vinegar you can find in the grocery store)
- leaf lettuce for four burgers - amount to taste
Instructions
- Place the pound of ground beef in a bowl.
- Add the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and shredded cheese to the bowl on top of the ground beef.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, I estimate I use about 1/2 tsp of each.
- Mix well - clean washed hands are the most effective - get in there and blend it well!
- Form into 4 burger patties, dimple the center a bit as this helps them achieve a better (flatter) final shape, burgers tend to swell in the center more than on the edges.
- Preheat a frying pan between medium and medium high heat.
- Once pan is hot place burgers in one at a time and cook for 2 or 3 minutes.
- Place a cover (or pizza pan if you don't have a cover) over the pan to help steam the burgers a bit, keeping the cover slightly cocked open, not sealing shut entirely.
- Cook and steam for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove lid and turn burgers to other side.
- Put cover back over the pan, again with it slightly cocked open so as not to fully seal shut.
- Cook and steam for 3 minutes or so.
- Remove cover and check for doneness. Juices bubbling out of burgers should be clear or brownish. Redness in the juices indicate they're not quite done. You can also continue to flip and/or move the patties around a bit to evenly brown the patties if your heat is uneven as you finish up the cook on these. The best way to verify doneness is to use a instant read meat thermometer and cook until you achieve a minimum temperature of 160 degrees F.
- Place cooked burger on a brioche bun and top with leaf lettuce (to taste).
- Drizzle with balsamic glaze (to taste).
- Place the bleu cheese crumbles on top of the balsamic glaze (again - to taste).
- Top with the other 1/2 of the brioche bun or serve open face with the top on the side to enjoy the presentation!
Don't forget sides! Of course french fries are always acceptable with burgers. Another idea to mix things up a bit: Try fresh fruit, like grapes and/or pineapple along with a bit of cottage cheese on the side to make this burger's flavors pop and provide for a bit lighter meal, great idea for lunch time!
Notes
Fundamentally, like any burger patty, you want to cook for about 4 minutes on each side (including time covered and uncovered in this case). Although I always find the first side takes a little longer than the second side. The best part of these burgers is the mayo and cheese acts as a safety net, making it harder to overcook and dry out your burgers. However the mayo and cheese does aid in browning so if you find they are getting overly browned and not yet up to temperature, try cooking longer at a lower temperature next time and/or adding more covered steaming time to aid in heating the burger through to the center.
