Bacon Cheeseburger

Yield: About 2 servings

Components

Roasted Garlic Aioli
1 Pound Ground Beef Mix (ratio to follow) Avon Prime Meats
Onion Rings
4 slices thick cut Applewood smoked bacon
Shelburne Farm Smoked Cheddar cheese, sliced into ¼ inch slices Dom’s Cheese Shop
2 Brioche Burger Buns- Courtesy of Hartford Baking Company
1 Red Onion, sliced ¼ inch thick
1 heirloom tomato, sliced 1/3 inch thick
Romaine Lettuce, tops and bottoms trimmed

Roasted Garlic Aioli

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 head garlic, top and bottom sliced off, cloves kept in peel
2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive oil
Kosher salt
6 egg yolks
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
1 ½ cups vegetable oil

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Tear a square of aluminum foil that will fit over the whole head of garlic. Place the cut garlic head on the foil, drizzle with the olive oil, season with 1 Tbs of Kosher salt, and wrap completely in the foil. Place the wrapped garlic on a foil- lined baking pan and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, until golden brown and soft. Allow the garlic to cool to room temperature.

Squeeze the cooked garlic cloves into the base of a blender. Add the egg yolks, 3 Tbs of salt, and white wine vinegar. Blend until smooth. While blending, begin to slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil and continue adding slowly until fully emulsified into the mixture. Taste for seasoning and reserve for plating.

Onion Rings

Prep Time: 8 minutes (plus an additional hour to marinade onions)

Cook Time: 8- 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 gallon vegetable oil
2 large white onions, peeled and sliced ½ inch thick rounds
2 cups buttermilk
3 whole eggs
Kosher Salt
1 cup All Purpose flour
1 cup Panko Bread crumbs

Method

Heat the vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat. Be sure that the oil comes up about 2 inches from the bottom of the pot with at least 6 inches of space to the top of the pot.

Separate each onion ring from the slices. Whisk together the buttermilk and eggs in a mixing bowl with 3 Tbs of Kosher salt. Place the onion slices in the buttermilk mixture and mix to coat thoroughly. Wrap the bowl with plastic film and cool for one hour to marinade.

In a shallow baking dish, mix together the flour and Panko with 3 Tbs of Kosher salt. Drain the onions and dredge thoroughly in the flour mixture. Apply gentle force to the surface of the onions to ensure even coating. Lay the breaded onion slices evenly on a baking pan lined with paper towels. Once all of the onion slices are breaded, use a thermometer to check that the oil is at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a dish with paper towels and set aside for finished onion rings. Carefully drop enough onion slices in the oil to fit in a single layer. Allow the onions to obtain a golden-brown color on one side before flipping each slice over to finish cooking the other side for another three minutes.

Once the onions are golden brown and crisp, transfer to the paper towel lined dish and season with salt. Continue to fry the remaining onion slices and turn the pot of oil off after finishing.

Burger Mix

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients

¼ pound ground Wagyu beef striploin(feel free to use a New York strip for a less pricey option)
½ pound ground beef chuck
¼ pound ground short rib
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
¼ cup vegetable oil

Method

Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Mix the meat thoroughly and shape into burger patties. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Add the oil to the pan and begin searing the burger patties. Once golden brown on one side (about four minutes per side) flip the burgers over and sear to golden brown. Top the burgers with the cheddar and cover to steam through. Once the cheese is melted, remove the burgers from the pan and set aside for plating.

Burger Buns

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cooking Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

2 Tbs Plugra butter
2 Brioche burger buns

Method

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the butter. Once melted and bubbling, add the burger buns, cut side down. Heat the buns until evenly golden brown, kiss the opposite sides of the buns on the heat for a brief toast. Set aside for plating.

Plating

Build the burgers to your liking. Spoon some roasted garlic aioli on the plate for the onion rings and enjoy!