La Burger Food

L.A. BURGER

Steps:

• Bobby's Perfect Patty
• Shape 6 ounces of 80 percent lean ground beef chuck into a uniform patty, no more than 3/4 inch thick (don't overwork the meat). Make a depression in the center with your thumb so the burger won't bulge; the indent will rise as the patty cooks. Preheat a grill or cast-iron grill pan to high. Brush the burger with canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown and slightly charred, turning once (7 minutes for medium-rare). Avoid pressing with a spatula! Add cheese for the last minute of cooking.
• Cheese
• Your pick: Monterey Jack is a California favorite, but Bobby loves this burger with cheddar, too.
• Avocado Relish
• Avocado is one of Bobby's favorite ingredients. He mixes 2 chopped Hass avocados with 1/2 diced small onion, 1 minced jalapeno, the juice of 1 lime, 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro, and salt and pepper.
• Watercress
• L.A. doesn't do iceberg lettuce, so Bobby tops off the burger with this peppery green instead.
• Tomato
• One thick, juicy slice takes the place of ketchup.

LOUISIANA BURGER

Steps:

• Mayonnaise:
• Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustards, hot sauce, cornichons, green onion and parsley in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Burger:
• Stir together the paprika, pepper, salt, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne in a small bowl.
• Mold the meat into patties. Brush with oil, season both sides with salt. Sprinkle 1 side of each patty with the spice mixture, making sure to rub the spices into the meat, then drizzle with oil before grilling.
• Preheat grill to high.
• Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a cast iron skillet on top of the grates of the grill until it begins to shimmer. If using cast iron pan, place the burger in the pan and cook until slightly charred and the spices have formed a crust, about 1 1/2 minutes (be careful not to burn the spices.) Turn the burger over, lower the heat to medium and continue cooking to desired doneness. If using a grill, grill the burgers on the grates of the grill for about same amount of time. Top each burger with 2 slices of cheese during the last 30 seconds of cooking, until cheese is melted.
• Put the burgers on the buns, top with the ham, some of the onions and some of the mayonnaise sauce and potato chips. Use a skewer to hold the burger together.

LOUISIANA BURGER

Steps:

• Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.
• For the patties, place the ground chuck in a large bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour prior to using. Add the pepper sauce, green onions, salt, and pepper. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Quickly shape the beef mixture into 6 round, equally-sized patties.
• Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until ready to grill.
• Brush the grill rack with oil.
• Place the patties on the grill, cover, and cook, turning once, until done to preference, 5 to 7 minutes on each side for medium.
• Meanwhile, brush the melted butter on the top and bottom buns.
• Position the buns, cut side down, on the outer edges of the grill for the last 2 minutes of grilling to toast lightly.
• When the patties are cooked, remove from the grill and keep warm while resting.