Bobby’s secret cheeseburger ingredient: water! He tops the patties with cheese at the end of cooking, then he adds a little water to the pan and covers it immediately — this creates and traps steam, which melts the cheese.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 5 min |
| Yield: | 4 Spanish burgers |
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon harissa
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 3/4 cup sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Kosher salt
- Pinch of saffron
- 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon harissa
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 jarred piquillo peppers (or 1 roasted red pepper),patted dry
- 1 anchovy fillet
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 4 thin slices prosciutto di Parma
- 1 1/4 pounds ground beef chuck
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 4 slices fontina cheese
- 4 soft sesame buns, lightly toasted
- Baby arugula, for topping
Instructions
- Make the spiced butter: Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Add the harissa and garlic and cook 1 minute. Remove from the heat, cover and let sit 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld.
- Make the pickled saffron shallots: Bring the vinegar, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and the saffron to a boil in a small saucepan set over medium heat; remove from the heat and let cool 10 minutes. Put the shallots in a small bowl, pour the vinegar mixture over them, cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
- Make the aïoli: Combine the mayonnaise, harissa, smoked paprika, piquillo peppers, anchovy and lemon juice in a blender and blend until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
- Make the crispy prosciutto: Heat the canola oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add 1 slice of the prosciutto at a time to the pan and cook until just crisp. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Make the burgers: Put the ground beef in a large bowl and mix in some salt and pepper. Divide into 4 equal patties.
- Heat a cast-iron pan over high heat until smoking. Add the canola oil and burgers and cook until the bottoms are golden brown and a crust has formed, about 4 minutes. Flip over and begin brushing with the spiced butter. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown and the meat is cooked to medium, about 4 more minutes. Top the burgers with the fontina, add a little water to the pan, cover quickly and cook until the cheese is completely melted, about 1 minute.
- Spread some aïoli on the top and bottom buns. Place a burger on each bottom bun; top with pickled shallots, followed by a slice of crispy prosciutto and arugula. Add the top buns and serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1072 |
| Total Fat | 83 g |
| Saturated Fat | 27 g |
| Carbohydrates | 37 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 11 g |
| Protein | 46 g |
| Cholesterol | 194 mg |
| Sodium | 1010 mg |
Reviews
This burger was really yummy. I tried to stay true to the recipe but did make a few substitutions so I didn’t have to buy a bunch of stuff I didn’t already have. I didn’t have an anchovy, so I subbed about a teaspoon of capers in the aioli. Used the jarred red pepper option. I didn’t have arugula, so used spinach. I used 1 lb ground beef 93/7 and 1/2 lb of ground pork. Finally, I used colby jack cheese. While every element added something special, the crispy prosciutto was the star. I found the amount of butter was far more than needed for the recipe and I only used about 3/4 stick, but leftovers could be used up later, I suppose. I was a little intimidated by the work involved in all the different components, but each one was actually pretty easy and quick to make and it was nice to have everything ready when it was time to actually put the burgers together.