Looking for a good, juicy burger to make that is full of flavor? Well, have I got the one for you to try! My husband loves this type of a burger. He has tried so many types of burgers at different restaurants. There are cowboy burgers, steak burgers, mushroom/Swiss burgers and spicy jalapeno burgers, just to name a few. They all have their own special name for each type of burger. He has ordered this particular burger several times while we have been out to eat. It is a cross between a burger with shaved Prime Rib to a French Dip. They even serve it with a side of Au Jus to dip it in just as you would see with a French Dip. He has been asking me to make something similar at home for quite some time now. So, I had to see what all the fuss was about. I finally decided to try it so I ordered it the last time we ate out. Guess what? I was hooked after my first bite. I thought I would surprise him and finally recreate this burger at home. Of course, I had to put my own spin on it.
I went out searching for the best ingredients to make this burger for him. No matter what type of burger I am making, I always start with a really good ground beef that is 80% lean-20% fat. I have tried so many different types of meat in our burgers and any less fat in the burger will result in a dry and crumbly burger and you do not want that. Nothing worse than taking your first bite of the burger and it falls apart on you. Or worse, you have to add ingredients just to keep the beef together. If you can get grass fed, even better! If you are making this as a special treat for someone than it is worth splurging a little. When using good quality beef it doesn’t require much seasoning.
Ground beef in hand, it was time to find that perfect steak to add on top. I knew I didn’t need a large amount so I was able to find single steaks that the butcher had packaged up. I went with a Rib Eye which was less expensive compared to some other cuts. I decided to tenderize & season the meat just right. You want to make sure that you do not overcook this steak or it can become too tough. The key after tenderizing the steak, was to use a few simple ingredients to season it with, to cook it just right and then almost shaving it (cut it as thin as you can get it).
Tenderizing the Rib Eye Steak
Cheese! I thought long and hard on this one. I wanted something that would give this burger a little kick. It had to bring another layer of flavor to it. I found a Horseradish Cheddar Cheese. It even said “Cheese with an Attitude” on the package. I have served Horseradish mashed potatoes before with our steak so I knew the flavors would combine nicely. I have to say, it was perfect! It definitely had the right attitude for this burger!!
Let’s review; I had the ground beef, check! steak, check! the perfect cheese, check! What else could I possibly stack on top of this burger? Some of you may say that is enough. But, why not add some potato? and not just any potato. How about some sweet potato strings? This burger had the right amount of beef, juiciness, bite & attitude from the cheese and now sweetness from the potato. Wow, what a combo! Initially I thought this was the perfect “manly” burger to serve my husband. Well, I have changed my mind because I have to say this is now my kind of burger too! It is a must try! Check it out and let me know what you think.
Rib Eye Burger
Makes 2 Servings
Ingredients
1 (0.50 lb.), Rib Eye Steak
1 lb., Ground Beef
Few good dashes, Worcestershire Sauce
2 Slices, Horseradish/Cheddar Cheese
2 Brioche Buns
Olive Oil
S&P
2 Thick Tomato Slices
2 Thick Slices, White Onion
1 Sweet Potato
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 Degrees. Spray a baking sheet, set aside.
Sweet Potato Strings: Peel the skin off of the sweet potato. Then, using a julienne peeler (for veggies), peel the entire sweet potato. Add the potato strings to a bowl, drizzle olive oil over them and season with some S&P (good pinch of each). Transfer the potato strings to the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the oven. Turn the potatoes about every 10 minutes. Bake for approx. 20-30 minutes, just until they become nice and crispy. Remove from oven, set aside.
Onions: On the stove or grill, add the slices of onion with a little olive oil over medium heat. Saute on each side until nicely caramelized, about 20 minutes or so.
Rib Eye Steak: While the potatoes are cooking, lightly pound out the rib eye steak(s) on each side. Season with a few dashes of Worcestershire, S&P (season on both sides of the steak). Cook on stove, on medium-high heat. Cook for a few minutes per side. Remove from pan, let the meat rest for about 5 minutes. With the meat laying flat on the cutting board, take a sharp knife and cut very thin slices of meat (cut across the entire top of the steak-cutting w/steak flat).
Tenderizing the Rib Eye Steak
Burger Patties: Mix the ground meat with a few good dashes of the Worcestershire, S&P. Form into hamburger patties. Press the center of the burger in (to create an indent). Cook on stove or grill over medium heat. Cook about 3 minutes then flip over. Add cheese on top, place under broiler just until cheese melts.
Plating: Place the burger onto the Brioche bun, top with some of the shaved Rib Eye Steak, then top with a handful of the potato strings. Add a nice slice of tomato onto the other half of the bun. Place some of the caramelized onion onto the tomato.
Mangia! Enjoy!
Tips
Julienne Peeler: If you have never used this tool before, it resembles a peeler like you use on carrots or other veggies. The difference is that it has sharp teeth on one side of the blade. That allows it to not only peel the potato but it cuts it into skinny strips. They sell these peelers in kitchen supply stores (same aisle as the veggie peeler); I have even seen them in most supermarkets.
Cheese: you can use any of your favorite cheese(s). The Horseradish Cheddar Cheese I used in this recipe went so well with the flavors and with the steak/burger. It was a great combination. It was very mild on heat too.
Potato: If you don’t like sweet potatoes, you can certainly substitute with a regular baking potato. We really loved the subtle sweetness this potato brought to the dish. Was a great pairing of flavors.
Cooking Burgers: cook to your desired doneness. See below for an easy to follow chart:
- 2-3 minutes per side for medium-rare
- 3-4 minutes per side for medium
- 5-6 minutes per side for well-done
Some things to consider when choosing a cooking time for your burger:
- How big are the patties? if the burger is smaller than go with the least amount of time in the table above. If the burger is slightly larger, than go with the top #.
- If adding cheese allow for additional cooking time to melt the cheese. So, if you would like a medium-rare burger I would add the cheese onto the burger after flipping it.
- If you need to make more than 2 burgers you can easily double the recipe.