Hamburger and Baked Fries with Home-Made Ketchup (and Don’t Forget your Green Veggies)
I love a good hamburger and fries like any good American. Since I eat less meat these days, both for health reasons and the environment, I rationalize buying the best quality meat from my home state of Idaho. For this burger, I used Snake River Farms (SRF) American Wagyu beef. The flavor is unbeatable. My daughter, a teenager and connoisseur of hamburgers, gave it a thumbs up. This is served sans bun to limit the carb load, given the pairing with baked fries. The fries are super easy and just as crispy and tender as regular deep-fried French fries. Any vegetable amenable to roasting can be added to the tray with fries around 7-10 minutes prior to the fries being done, to complete the meal.
Tweaked from 101cookingfortwo.com and Skinnytaste.com.
Hamburgers and Baked Fries
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (preferably best quality), divided into 4 6-ounce portions
2-3 Tbsp expeller-pressed canola oil
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into quarters (preferably cut with A crinkle cutting tool)
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
yellow onions for garnish, thinly sliced and soaked in water for 10-15 minutes, then drained
dill pickles (cut with crinkle cutting tool)
ketchup (preferably home-made)
Homemade Ketchup
6 oz can tomato paste
2 Tbsp agave
6 Tbsp white vinegar
1/4 cup water
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
MAKE KETCHUP (DO THIS IN ADVANCE): Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking until smooth.When it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and cover until cool. Chill and store refrigerated in a covered container.
SHAPE HAMBURGERS: Shape into four hamburger patties, avoiding excessive handling. Create a depression in the center of the hamburger. This helps the hamburger hold its shape and cook evenly. Allow the meat to sit at room temperature for an hour prior to cooking.
Start prepping potatoes.
Around 15 minutes prior to the fries being done, heat a 12 inch cast iron pain (or ScanPan) with canola oil on medium heat. When hot, place the hamburgers in the pan. Leave space between burgers. Let cook around 5 minutes each side. Consider covering pan for 1-2 minutes to further cook the interior if its not done to your liking.
PREPPING POTATOES: Soak your potatoes in water for 10-15 minutes and drain well. Dry with a clean towel and let sit on a wire-rack for an hour or so to dry. While the potatoes are drying, preheat the oven to 425 degrees on convection or 450 non-convention. Coat potatoes in olive oil and generously sprinkle with kosher salt. Place on wire rack inserted on top of a sheet pan and place in the oven on the middle shelf. Bake for 25-30 minutes, checking at the 20 minute mark. If you are planning on roasting a vegetable along side the potatoes (here I used thick asparagus), coat with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper and add to the wire rack along side the potatoes.
ASSEMBLE: Serve your hamburger with whatever fixings you want. My preference is some thinly sliced onions, ketchup and pickles. Plate fries and veggies of your choice with lots of ketchup on the side for dipping.
