Don’t tell my husband, but I’m having a love affair. I’m obsessed. I just can’t seem to get enough…..of onions! Yes. Onions. It’s nothing that sordid, but oh, so wonderful, nonetheless!
I seriously, can’t seem to get enough. I like them roasted, sauteed, grilled, raw. Basically, any way imaginable. So, it only makes sense that when I watched The Pioneer Woman a few weeks ago on Food Network, my mouth started watering when she made her sliders with caramelized onions! I mean, c’mon! A big pan full of golden-brown strands, glistening from the butter…all tender and silky. I can almost taste them! There was only one thing left to do…slap a pan on the stove and melt some butter…honey, we’re gonna caramelize some onions!
Burgers with Caramelized Onions
Compliments of It’s a Keeper
www.itisakeeper.com
3 onions, halved and sliced
1 tsp sugar
3 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck (80 percent lean)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Seasoned salt
2 Tbsp Canola oil
6 slices Gouda cheese
6 Kaiser rolls, buttered and toasted in a skillet
In a medium pan, melt the butter over low heat. Add onions and sugar and cook until caramelized, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm.
Combine the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce and Seasoned salt. Mix by hand just until combined (be careful not to over mix). Shape into six patties that are about 1 inch thick. Push a ½ inch indent into the center of the patty to prevent the patty from swelling into a dome.
IF USING A GRILL: Heat grill to high. Brush the burgers with the oil. Grill the burgers until golden brown with a slight char on the first side, about 3 minutes. Flip and grill other side for 4 minutes for medium rare or until cooked to desired degree of doneness.
IF USING A GRILL PAN: Heat a grill pan over high heat on top of the stove. Cook the burgers as directed, above.
IF USING A SKILLET OR GRIDDLE (CAST IRON PREFERRED): Heat the oil in the pan over high heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Cook the burgers as directed above.
When burgers have 1 minute left to cook, top each with a slice of cheese. After 1 minute remove from grill/pan.
Place burger on bottom half of roll. Add a heaping tablespoon of onions on top of burger. Top with remaining half of roll.
Is It a Keeper?
Seriously, just look at that burger above. A picture is worth a 1,000 words. It’s THAT good! And so simple – just a burger, some cheese, the on-yons, and a bun. That’s it. No need to mask the flavor with sauces and condiments.
It’s so simple but sooo good! The key to perfectly caramelized onions is low and slow, baby. Resist the temptation to speed things up by turning up the heat. Take your hand off the burner knob and slowly step away from the stove. You can do it. Trust me. I promise it’s worth the wait.
Another tip is to use a stainless steel pan. Non-stick pans just won’t cut it. You want to get that nice, golden-brown color — it’s just not the same in a non-stick pan.
I highly recommend that, while there are still some nice days left this summer, you fire up the grill and slap some onions on the stove. These burgers are deeee-vine!
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Kate says
September 24, 2011 at 10:57 amYum!! Add some bacon to that and it’d REALLY be tasty! Oh man do I love a bacon cheese burger!
L.A says
September 14, 2011 at 1:31 pmI LOVE sautéd onions. Sometimes when I’m home alone for lunch I just slice up an onion and fry it up! I also do the same thing with mushrooms. If you want to try something really great, replace the white sugar for golden or brown sugar *drool*
Sam @ The Junk House says
September 13, 2011 at 1:37 pmI was drooling when I saw that on The Pioneer Woman too! I’d eat caramelized/sauteed/grilled onions on almost eveything if I could. Love love love!
Christina @ This Woman Cooks! says
September 13, 2011 at 7:37 amI love caramelized onions too! Especially on burgers.