Basil mayo + caramelized onion burger

with homemade patties, brioche buns and double-fried fries

The sun is finally out in NY! And of course, we went from cold rainy weather a fews days ago to incredibly hot and humid. I’m a tropical girl so I love the sun but this is too much for even me I fear. Where is that perfect, warm but not hell-hot weather? A girl just wants to have her toes out and her shades on please.

Anyway, I digress! I’m here to talk about this beautiful burger I made recently for my husband’s birthday! I’m really not a huge burger person in that I’m usually not ordering one when I’m out. But my homemade burgers? I could have two of those in a sitting easily. I make them year round but there’s something about a homemade burger in the summer that makes me extra happy — the sizzle, the char, the stack, the satisfaction. And when you really take your time and build every part with care, it becomes something special. This one was extra special because I made it for my husband’s birthday, upstate New York in a truly stunning house we rented for the weekend with his best friend’s family. The kind of trip where the kids run wild, the sun lingers just a bit longer, and everything tastes better. I was in heaven because the architectural details of the house were just incredible (if you’re new here, I was an architecture major in undergrad and houses are my absolute favorite).

Also a full circle moment: we all went to boarding school in Ghana together — my husband, his best friend, his best friend's wife. So cooking for everyone felt both nostalgic and new.

I wasn’t actually sure if I was going to cook or not. I knew I wanted to so I packed a duffel bag with my cutting board, my favorite knife, and some of my must-have spices, oils, herbs, etc. I felt very extra doing that but you never know what you’re going to find near you when you take a trip and I wanted to be ready. We went to a restaurant on the first night and the food at this neighborhood 4.8 star spot was so mid that I knew I had to swoop in and save the day haha. Ended up cooking all weekend and honestly, that beautiful marble and walnut kitchen made it easy. I was a very happy girl. This burger ended up being perfect for the weekend. So let’s get into how I made it!

---

leoniebadge

A post shared by @leoniebadge

Ingredients

Burger Patties

• 2 packs high-fat ground beef (ideally 85/15 or higher fat ratio)

• Whites of 6 scallions, finely sliced

• Salt, black pepper

• A pinch of cumin

• Seasoning salt (I use Aromat — optional)