Name: French Onion Burgers
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme; ½ teaspoon table salt; ¼ teaspoon pepper; 1 recipe recipe (see note) or 1¾ pounds 85 percent lean ground beef; 1 teaspoon vegetable oil; 4 hamburger buns; 12 ounces Gruyère cheese , shredded (3 cups); ½ head frisée lettuce (3 ounces), leaves separated; 1 recipe recipe

Why This Recipe Works

Pairing a burger with the components of classic French onion soup makes a lot of sense given that the soup itself has a deep beefy flavor. The task proved elusive at first: Sautéing a mound of onions just didn’t give us that complex, caramelized onion flavor we were after. Instead, we found that caramelized onion jam—which is packed with savory sweetness and rich color—captured the essence of classic French onion soup far better. A homemade burger blend gave our patties exceptionally big, beefy flavor. To replicate the cheese-smothered crostini that float atop French onion soup, we toasted our burger buns under the broiler, spread the -caramelized onion jam over the bun tops, and then piled on a whopping ¾ cup of shredded cheese. We then placed the bun tops back under the broiler until the cheese was melted, bubbly, and caramelized. A few frisée lettuce leaves lent freshness to this rich burger.

Before You Begin

We prefer to use either our Grind-Your-Own Sirloin Burger Blend or our Grind-Your-Own Ultimate Burger Blend here; however, you can substitute 1¾ pounds of 85 percent lean ground beef if desired. If food safety is your primary concern, you may want to cook your burger to a higher internal temperature. To learn more, check out this guide.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine thyme, salt, and pepper in bowl. Divide burger blend into 4 lightly packed balls, then gently flatten into ¾‑inch-thick patties. Using your fingertips, press center of each patty down until about ½ inch thick, creating slight divot.

Season patties with thyme mixture. Heat oil in 12‑inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Using spatula, transfer patties to skillet, divot side up, and cook until well browned on first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Gently flip patties and continue to cook until well browned on second side, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer patties to rimmed baking sheet, divot side down, and bake until burgers register 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare) or 130 to 135 degrees (for medium), 3 to 8 minutes. Transfer burgers to platter and let rest for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Arrange buns on clean rimmed baking sheet, cut sides up, and broil until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Transfer bun bottoms to plate. Spread onion jam over bun tops, then top evenly with Gruyère. Broil until Gruyère is melted and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Serve burgers on buns, topped with frisée.