Beef Burgers with Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onions

beef burger with blue cheese and carmelized onions

Serves 4

by Bruce Weinstein, Mark Scarbrough from Fine Cooking
Issue 117
Last Edit Date: 5/24/2013 1:30:50 PM

Salty blue cheese, sweet onions, and juicy beef are a classic and addictive combination. Cooking the onions is the most time-consuming part of this recipe, but be patient: It’s worth it to coax out their deep, earthy flavor.

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2 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 medium yellow onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
1-1/2 lb. ground beef (preferably 85% lean)
1 Tbs. chopped fresh tarragon
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce (preferably Lea & Perrins)
Vegetable oil, for the grill
4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
4 brioche or challah rolls, split

Prepare a medium-high gas or charcoal grill fire.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until golden and soft, about 20 minutes; reduce the heat to low if the onions begin to brown too quickly.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, thoroughly mix the beef, tarragon, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce with your hands. Form the mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick patties.

Oil the grill grate. Grill the burgers, covered, for 3 minutes. Flip the burgers and top with the cheese. Cover and continue to cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into a burger registers 130°F for medium rare, about 4 minutes more, or 145°F for medium, about 6 minutes more.

When the burgers are nearly done, toast the rolls cut side down on the grill until browned and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve the burgers in the rolls, topped with the caramelized onions.

Serving Suggestions

For your Memorial Day cookout, serve these burgers with Chopped Vegetable & Couscous Salad or Grilled Fingerling Potato Salad. Mini Mixed-Berry Tarts make for a patriotic dessert.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 820; Fat (g): 52; Fat Calories (kcal): 470; Saturated Fat (g): 28; Protein (g): 45; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 11; Carbohydrates (g): 42; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 1; Sodium (mg): 1000; Cholesterol (mg): 280; Fiber (g): 2;

Photo: Scott Phillips

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by desertsage, 6/17/2013Surprisingly good flavor combination. I used grass fed beef and it came out wonderfully.

by kungfukaren, 5/22/2013These are fantastic; juicy, flavorful, easy. I make a quadruple batch of the meat and apportion it out into gallon-sized freezer bags to have at the ready for week-night grilling. If time is short, these are still great without the onions. (I make with ground turkey, btw.)

by JenniferYvonne, 7/4/2012Good but not great. Too dry for us, needs a light spread or sauce to make it better. I followed recipe with only deviation being that I used onion buns. Don't think I'll make again, to be honest.

by sewapel, 5/30/2012

by dickyg, 5/28/2012this was a grand surprise. the tarragon is a spice that i would not have used in a burger but the first bite was amazing. i will do this again for partys and my family. rtg