Cheese

French Onion Burger

April 18, 2022
0
0 Ratings
Photo by TY MECHAM, JULIA GARTLAND. PROP STYLIST: VERONICA OLSON, MOLLY FITZSIMONS. FOOD STYLIST: SAMANTHA SENEVIRATNE, LAUREN LAPENNA.
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 50 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This recipe is everything you love about French onion soup in a delicious, flavor-packed burger. Jammy-sweet caramelized onions and gooey Gruyère cheese are piled on top of a meaty beef patty and sandwiched inside Sara Lee Artesano’s buttery Brioche Hamburger Buns, which are toasted lightly first to stand in for the croutons in French onion soup. You get all the textures (soft onions, melty cheese, toasted bread) and flavors of a hearty cold-weather soup in a satisfying, hand-held meal. —Posie (Harwood) Brien

Test Kitchen Notes

This recipe is shared in partnership with Sara Lee Artesano. For more recipes, head over to Sandwich Heaven —The Editors

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French Onion Burger
Ingredients
  • For the onions:
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 medium yellow or white onions, thinly sliced
  • For the sandwiches:
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 3 tablespoons dry vermouth or dry white wine
  • 1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon coarse black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 Sara Lee Artesano Brioche Hamburger Buns
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 slices Gruyère cheese
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. Make the onions: Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the heat, transfer onions to a small bowl, and set aside.
  3. Make the burgers: Using the same large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Add the vermouth and simmer until the liquid just begins to reduce, about 2 minutes.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the cooked shallot mixture, beef, pepper, and salt and mix gently but thoroughly. Form into four ¾-inch-thick patties.
  5. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in the same cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the patties and cook, turning once, until cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes per side.
  6. Assemble the burgers: Place the buns on a baking sheet and place the buns in the oven until they’re lightly toasted, about 2 minutes, keeping a close eye on them so they don’t get too brown. Remove from the oven and set aside, but keep the oven on.
  7. In a small bowl, mix the softened butter, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce.
  8. Spread a thin layer of the butter mixture over the bottom buns, then add a patty, a generous scoop of caramelized onions, and a slice of cheese. Leaving the top buns off, place the burgers back on the baking sheet and place them in the hot oven just until the cheese begins to melt. Remove from the oven, add the top bun, and serve while they’re hot.

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1 Review

Smaug April 23, 2022
Generally Sara Lee doesn't seem to believe in butter; I guess that's where the "Artesano" comes in; their Artesano bread does contain some butter, though it's last on the ingredient list before the "less than .5%" stuff- but after salt, yeast and soy oil.