Beurre Maitre d’Hôtel Burgers

When I saw this recipe from Serious Eats, I knew I had to give it a try. My only hesitation was my guys. Oh sure, they love burgers. But these aren’t your ordinary, run of the mill burgers. They are delicious, fancy-pants burgers.

Before we get started, the recipe has been adjusted for us, a family of three. If you want four burgers, increase the ground meat by 1/3 of a pound. Just figure 1/3 pound per person and you’re good. We had extra lettuce, but that was okay too since I just added more lettuce to the burgers. As for the Garlic Confit and Beurre Maitre d’Hôtel, you will be making more than you could use. Again, that’s okay because both have many other uses and will keep for a few weeks to give you time to play with their flavors.

The day that I made these burgers, the house smelled so wonderful as the Garlic Confit simmered on the stove top. Just smelling the garlic got our mouths to watering. The nice thing about this recipe is that I made both the garlic and butter in the morning, went out for the day, and returned home to finish dinner in a snap.

As the burgers rested, Hubby wandered into the kitchen to check on the progress of dinner. I told him it was nearly ready, I just needed to grill the Romaine. That stopped him in his tracks, so I had to repeat myself. When I shared pictures of these awesome burgers on Face Book, my son asked if the comment about the Romaine was a typo. Nope, we were blackening the Romaine. What a difference. The depth of flavor and the complexity is truly amazing.

Beurre Maitre d’Hôtel Burgers
Garlic Confit
1 head Garlic Cloves
Olive Oil as needed

Trim the ends, peel the garlic but leave whole.

In a saucepan, cover garlic with enough oil to fully submerge it. Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a bare simmer. Lower heat to maintain the barest simmer. The garlic needs to be simmering in the oil, not frying. Frying the garlic will cause it to become bitter.

Cook, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain this minimal level of cooking activity, until the garlic is buttery soft and tan in color, at least an hour or more depending upon the size and age of the garlic cloves. Do not rush the process but rather allow the flavors to full develop.

Transfer Garlic Confit to a heatproof container. Pour just enough oil in the container to keep the garlic submerged. (Reserve some oil for the burgers and lettuce).

Cover the container with the garlic, and refrigerate immediately.

Note: Refrigerated in its oil, the Garlic Confit can be kept for up to 2 weeks. This is more garlic than you can use with the burgers, so try it on toast. Delicious!

Beurre Maitre d’Hôtel 
1/2 cup Butter, softened
1/4 cup Italian Parsley, finely minced
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
2 teaspoons Lemon Zest
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
Kosher Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Place soft butter in a small bowl. Chop parsley, place in a food processor and pulse until finely minced. Combine butter, parsley, lemon juice and zest, and garlic and whip with a fork until well incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Lay plastic wrap on a flat work surface. Place the butter mixture in the center, cover loosely and form into a log. Wrap butter tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for several months.

Burgers
1 lb Ground Beef, 80% lean
Kosher salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Garlic Infused Oil, for cooking as needed
1 Romaine Lettuce Heart
9 Garlic Confit (above)
3 pats Maitre d’Hotel Butter (above)
3 Good Quality Buns
Mayonnaise as desired
Blue Cheese Dressing as desired

Form ground beef into 3 large patties, just larger than the buns, about 4 1/2-inches round. Season patties generously with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to cook.

Lightly oil a cast iron skillet with some of the oil used for the garlic. Just a thin coating will do it. Swirl the pan to spread the oil evenly. Heat skillet over medium-high heat almost to the point of smoking.

Place the burgers in the skillet, sear for a minute or two, then lower heat just a little to prevent further burning. Cook for another three minutes, for a total of 5 minutes. Flip the burgers, cook for three minutes, then increase the heat for the last two minutes.

Transfer to a plate, tent and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

While the burgers rest, wipe out the skillet, the grease very lightly with additional garlic oil and set over medium-high heat until oil is smoking.

Cut the Romaine Heart in quarters lengthwise, leaving the stem root intact to help hold the lettuce together. Remove any excess leafy greens from the outside, leaving only the heart. Press down to flatten slightly.

Place lettuce in the pan and sear until just beginning to speckle and wilt. Turn, sear the other side. Place grilled Romaine on a cutting board. Cut off the root stem, fan out.

To Build the Burger
Place 3 garlic cloves from the Garlic Confit on the bottom of each bun. Spread the Garlic Confit into an even layer. Top with charred romaine leaves. Set burger patties on top and top each with a pt of the butter.

Place burgers under the broiler for just a minute or two for the butter to begin to melt.

Brush top bun with condiment of your choice such as mayonnaise or Blue Cheese Dressing. Serve and enjoy.