Comfort Food

Mare Evans CNW Contributor

When it comes to comfort food, no one does it quite like Midwesterners. Midwest recipes, like butter-basted burgers, tater tot casserole, and buckeyes, are guaranteed to make you feel right at home. curled up with a book or laptop in the middle of winter.

Smash Burgers

A Smash burger is exactly what you think it is; balls of ground beef smashed onto a hot griddle. You’ll want to smash them into thinly pressed patties, so they cook quickly and will get you those crispy, brown (not burnt) edges while still keeping the interior nice and juicy. If you’re counting Calories. Now is not the time to cut calories or skimp on the salt. Be clear, we’re going for taste and satisfaction. If dieting, count this as your ‘cheat day.

Choose a ground chuck that is at least 80/20. Look for a blend of ground brisket or short rib. The best burger comes when you’re liberal with kosher salt which according to some is beef’s best friend.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef (preferably 80% lean)

• 1 teaspoon canola oil

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper, divided

• 4 hamburger buns, split

• Optional: Mayonnaise, sliced American cheese, sliced tomato, dill pickle slices, lettuce, ketchup, and yellow mustard

Directions

1. Place a 9-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, gently shape the beef into 4 balls, shaping just enough to keep them together (do not compact).

2. Increase burner temperature to medium-high; add oil. Add 2 beef balls. With a heavy metal spatula, flatten each to 1/4- to 1/2-in. thickness; sprinkle each with 1/8 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Cook until edges start to brown, about 1-1/2 minutes. Turn burgers and sprinkle each Turn burgers and sprinkle each with ab additional 1/8 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Cook until well browned and a thermometer reads at least 160°, about 1 minute. Repeat with remaining beef.

3. Serve burgers on buns with toppings as desired.

Test Kitchen Tips

• Want a Smash Cheeseburger? Add a slice of your favorite cheese right after you flip it.

• The more you work the ground beef the tougher the burger will be. So use just your fingertips to form the loose balls. Don’t worry about tucking in all those loose strands that may stick out; they turn into well-browned bits of goodness.

• There is a lot of flavor in the browning, so after you smash them don’t move them until you’re ready to flip. If you have the space, flip the burger onto an unused area of the skillet; it’s much hotter than the section of the pan where the burger was.

• Using a meat mallet to press on the spatula while you’re flattening the burgers will help to form them evenly and will help keep your spatula from bending.

Nutrition Facts

1 burger: 339 calories, 16g fat (5g saturated fat), 70mg cholesterol, 760mg sodium,