So it’s Friday Date Night (which is really a “make up” for Thursday Date Night that we missed because of Thanksgiving), and the Two Guys find themselves craving a good burger. Not just any burger – but a juicy, charred sirloin burger. So they do what any two guys do who are craving a good homemade burger – they head to Whole Foods to find some ground sirloin.
So after scoring some sirloin and a giant sweet potato, we headed to the house to whip up a dinner.
First things first, Nick pulled out the wine. From the home cellar, he picked a Gallo Sonoma Reserve 2005 Sonoma County Cabernet.
The Gallo Sonoma Reserve 2005 Sonoma County Cabernet
This was a gift from Auntie Jennifer and Uncle Michael. We’ve had it here for a few months, and what better excuse than a burger to command this wine?Then we laid out the giant sweet potato:
Giant Sweet Potato from Whole Foods Market
And sliced it up into matchsticks:
Sweet Potato Sliced into Matchsticks
Meanwhile, Nick created some breadcrumbs:
Rub Two Pieces of Bread Together to Get . . . Fresh Breadcrumbs
Sirloin is no more than 7% fat, so it’s important to have a bit of breadcrumbs and other stuff added into the meat.We put the sweet potatoes on ice:
Sweet Potato Matchsticks on Ice
Then used a mandolin to slice up a bit of white onion:
Slivers of White Onion from a Mandolin
And added to the breadcrumbs, along with crushed black pepper, salt and parsley:
Fresh Breadcrumbs, Sea Salt, Crushed Black Pepper, Parsley
As well as Worcestershire:
Fresh Breadcrumbs, Crushed Black Pepper, Sea Salt, Parsley, and Worcestershire
And a bit of butter:
Fresh Breadcrumbs, Sea Salt, Crushed Black Pepper, Parsley, Worcestershire and Butter
Nick gently combined the beef with the mixture:
Mixing the Ground Beef
You can’t mix it all “too well” or it will turn out like a meatloaf. One of the “secrets” to a good burger is to blend the mixture loosely so that it’s light and airy.
While the mixture rests, we drained the sweet potatoes and dried them:
Sweet Potato Matchsticks Drying, Before Frying
Then formed the patties:
Patties Ready for the Grill
There are only two patties, because it’s just the Two Guys tonight, and they are “oblong” on shape, because we are using special buns (see below).
So while all this was going on, the oil (corn oil or peanut oil are good choices, as they have high flash points) was heating up. We put in half of the sweet potatoes:
Sweet Potato Fries in the Oil
And let them fry in the oil for about 15 minutes, then pulled them out and sprinkled sea salt and cinnamon on them:
First Batch of Sweet Potato Fries
While the second batch of sweet potatoes was cooking, we sliced up the special (way too expensive) onion French rolls from the bakery at Whole Foods:
Slicing up the Way Too Expensive (But Far Worth it) Onion French Rolls From Whole Foods Market
Grated up some sharp cheddar:
Grating Sharp Cheddar for the Burgers
And threw the patties on a very, very hot pan until just seared. After the patties were turned and let sit for a minute, we pulled them off and put onto the buns:
Plating Up the Burgers
Then added the potatoes:
With Sweet Potato Fries
And the tomatoes:
Add the Tomatoes
The tomatoes were beefsteak.
Then we added the thinly-sliced white onions:
Add the Wafer Thin White Onions
And John added Alfalfa sprouts to his (“yuck” says Nick):
John says Alfalfa Sprouts Remind Him of His Pet Rabbits When He Was Eight Years Old. Nick Thinks They Are Just Gross.
And mustard (also “yuck” says Nick):
John Loves Mustard on Burgers. Nick Cannot Imagine a Better Way to Ruin a Burger.
And relish:
No Burger Is Complete Without Relish, Right?
While Nick added only some Spring greens:
Adding Spring Greens to Nick's Burger
And ketchup:
Nick Says No Burger Is Complete Without Ketchup
Here’s the “voila” for John:
The "Perfect Burger" as Envisioned by John
And the “voila” for Nick:
The "Perfect Burger" as Envisioned by Nick
Seriously, what more could a guy want?
<< sigh >>
Let’s talk wine. The Gallo did not disappoint. Now don’t go thinking that this was you typical jug Gallo that you snuck out back of your parents’ house. This is Gallo’s “second label,” the “good stuff.” Auntie Jennifer scored this bottle for us, and we saved it for a special occasion, such as this. Granted, we don’t drink Merlot that often, but this was a classic match to a charred, juicy burger with sharp cheddar.
The nose was a bit empty, a tad metallic, and with just a hint of berry fruit, but the palate was classic Merlot, with dust and dirt, licorice, raspberries and blackberries, and a finish that was chocolate and cocoa. On the Two Guys’ scale, it was a 89, losing out to the classic 90+ only because of the nose.
In a word, it went perfectly with our burgers, which disappeared almost as fast as the wine.
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