‘Smooch Me’ French Onion Smash Burger

Move over “Marry me” Chicken.
I’m in my “Smooch me” Smash Burger, era.

This French Onion Inspired Burger is just begging for a French Kiss.
No guarantees you will be getting any kisses after you eat a burger with 4x your daily intake of onions. But honestly, worth it.

A double stack of crispy smash patties, topped with Gruyère Cheese, Balsamic Caramelized Onions and a Confit Garlic Parm Aioli.

Heavenly.

This recipe was made in partnership with Staub! Their Cast Iron Skillet is the perfect pan for handling high temps and achieving beautiful even sears. Which is important when making Smash Patties.
Multipurpose, and easy to clean. It can also be used when making the Caramelized Onions and toastig your burger buns!

Recipe:

Makes two, double patty, smash burgers

For the Patties:

12 oz medium ground beef (80/20 fat content)
salt & pepper for seasoning
4 slices Gruyère cheese
2 Brioche Burger Buns
mayo for toasting buns

Form the patties by dividing the ground beef into four, 3 oz portions.
Roll into balls. Place on a tray & refrigerate until needed. Let them come to room temperature for 15 minutes before cooking.

Balsamic Caramelized Onions:

1 large white onion
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Using a knife, or a mandolin for even thickness, cut your onion into thin slices. In a large cast iron, with the heat off, add 2 tbsp olive oil and your cut onion and salt. Turn the heat to medium and start cooking the onion nice and slow until it starts to become semi transparent. Adding the balsamic and sugar after about 5 minutes. Stir frequently and add water if necessary. Cook the onions for about 25-30 minutes or until dark, golden and almost jammy. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Garlic Parm Aioli:

1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup mayo
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

In an ovensafe dish, I’m using my Mini Staub Cocotte, add 1/4 cup of olive oil and your garlic cloves (with or without the skin, just make sure you peel it layer). Roast the garlic in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the cloves are soft.

In a bowl, add the mayo, confit garlic cloves, 1 tbsp of the oil used to roast the garlic, parmesan, black pepper and chopped parsley. Mix with a fork to mash up the garlic until smooth.
Set aside until ready to assemble the burger.

Crispy Onions:

1 large white onion
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt (to season)
1/2L neutral oil (for frying)

Using a knife, (or a mandolin for even slices) cut your onion into thin rings.
In a small bowl add the flour, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder. Whisk to combine.
Add your thinly cut onions and toss in the flour mixture to coat them.

In a medium pot or saucepan, add your oil and place over medium high heat to prepare for frying. Once the oil reaches 325 degrees, take the onions, shaking off any excess flour seasoning, and drop them into the oil.
Fry for about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently until they turn a dark golden colour, being careful not to burn them.

Remove onions from the oil with a slotted spoon or a spider skimmer and place onto a piece of paper towel to get rid of any excess oil.

Set aside to use for assembly.

To Cook:

If you want toasted buns: Prepare your buns but cutting in half, and spreading each side with a light amount of mayo.
Place the buns, mayo side down in your skillet and turn the heat to medium. Toast the buns for 2-4 minutes, until golden, checking them so they don’t burn. Once toasted to your liking, set aside while you cook the patties

If you have an exhaust fan, turn it on!
In a large cast iron, add 1 tbsp of neutral oil. Place it over high heat until it almost starts to smoke.
Take two prepared 3 oz ground beef balls and place them on the cast iron. Sprinkle with salt and pepper before putting a small piece of parchment paper on top.
Using a burger press, a metal spatula or a flat bottomed baking tray, quickly smash the patties down, one at a time. Using quite a bit of force to get them super thin. Remove the parchment and let them cook for 2 minutes before flipping.
Sprinkle the second side with salt and pepper and cook an additional 1 minute and then turn the temperature to low.
Place your gruyere slices on top of the patties and cover the pan with a lid, or patties with a bowl to melt the cheese. After about a minute of two, remove the lid. Stack the patties and remove from the skillet.

Repeat the above process with the remaining ground beef patties if you are making more burgers.