Sirloin Cheese Burger with Yam Fries & Salad

PROCEDURE:

For the Salad:

Clean all components other than the avocado and onion and dry thoroughly. You will want to reserve a small amount of mesclun to help top the burger with. Cut 1/5 onion into thin slices – reserve the rest of the onion for the burgers. To make the dressing, put the mustard in the bowl and whisk in sherry vinegar. Then whisk in the extra virgin olive oil. Season with black pepper and salt. Put aside. When the burgers are ready to be served, cut the avocado into thin slices, season them with salt and pepper, and toss them and the rest of the salad with the dressing. Serve.

For the Yam Fries:

Fill a large pot with cold water. Peel yams and cut into long strips (the size of French fries). Once cut immediately put in pot of water. Put pot on high and once it comes to a boil, drain the yam fries and dry completely. Bring the deep fryer or heavy bottom pot with canola oil to 325°. (NOTE: Deep-frying can be incredibly dangerous and you need to use strict caution when doing it. Never fill a pot more than half full with oil, it is usually best to only fill it 1/3 full. Make sure that your deep frying thermometer is working properly and is calibrated correctly. Never over crowd the pot; as it can very rapidly boil over. Never put anything wet into hot oil as it can cause vigorous oil splatter. For more information regarding safety while deep frying, please go to: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Deep_Fat_Frying ) Fry the yams in batches a couple of minutes for each batch. Let rest on paper towels. Once all are done, raise the temperature of the oil to 350°. Fry the same yams a second time until browned and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Again, let them rest on paper towels. Then place all fries in a large bowl, season with sea salt and toss. Serve with the salad and burgers.

For the Burgers:

Cut 4/5 of the onion into thin circular slices. Warm a sauté pan and add 1 tsp canola oil – swirl in pan. Once warm, add the sliced onions and sauté. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, lower heat and let cook for about 10-15 minutes until lightly caramelized (you will still want a little bite to the onions. Don’t let them go so far to turn them completely mushy.) Reserve for later.

Lightly toast the buns, put aside.

Cut 4 slices of tomato, 4 slices of cheese, and clean a small amount of mesclun; enough to garnish each burger. Put aside.

Mix together both meets and form into ½ lb patties. Prior to cooking, let the meat sit out of the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes to temper it towards room temperature. Season both sides of each patty with salt and pepper directly prior to cooking. Put your seasoned cast-iron grill on your stovetop and warm up on high. When hot, put your burgers on the grill. Cook for three minutes and then rotate the burgers 90° to create criss-crossed grill marks on the face of the burger. Cook three minutes more and then flip the burgers. Repeat the same process: Cook three minutes and then rotate 90°. Then add the cheese on top and cook three minutes more. To help it melt, cover the patties with a stainless steel bowl to help hold in the steam/heat in which will help to melt the cheese.

To create burger, take the bottom half of the bun, top with some dry mesclun greens, then the meat, then the caramelized onions, the beefsteak tomato and then top with the upper half of the bun.

To Serve:

Plate fries, salad, and burger and serve with a side of ketchup or garnish of choice. Dig in and Enjoy!