A Favorite Restaurant inspires a Home Cook’s Dinner Quest
As New Yorkers, we’re bereft at the months-long lockdown of the Broadway theaters. They’re a part of our landscape and no matter how many—or how few–times we see plays every year, they’re cultural treasures that are irreplaceable. There’s something else missing too. A dining ritual that we miss as much as theater itself. Because whether it’s pre-theater or after, we always start or end our Broadway forays at Joe Allen (326 West 46th St. NY NY Tel: 212 581 6464.) And we always order the exact same thing: Chopped Steak. This deliciously charred on-the-outside, rare on the inside piece of American beef is one of my favorite dishes on earth. And it isn’t even on the menu.
A recipe for the pure comfort of a stuffed Cheeseburger and 
Onions
I’ve written about the actual recipe before. (The link follows today’s recipe.) Last week, I did a riff on Joe Allen’s version. Taking my cues from Joe, the Juicy Lucy Burger I wrote about in July, and the happy discovery a cache of Trader Joe’s Fried Onion pieces, I came up with this. I am not above posting recipes that would hardly win a James Beard Award—Nigella Lawson’s Meatzza 
comes to mind (see link). This is pure comfort food. I stuffed the burger with cheese and onion pieces then sealed it around the edges. I used the ‘start-from-cold’ technique in a cast-iron skillet. The burger cooked spectacularly evenly. Checking the temperature, I took it off the heat when it hit 145. It was medium rare when I plated it and finished it off with a shower of onion bits and a blizzard of chives. Perfection, if I do say so myself. And with it, a side dish that lets you partially assuage any guilt over the burger.
A recipe for Sliced Tomatoes that’s as simple as it is irresistible.
If you’ve indulged in Tomatoes with Burrata this summer, here’s a more economical way to put a creamy richness together with a great tomato. Burrata, the creamiest of Mozzarellas, is a perfect foil for a ripe tomato. So, I discovered, is a great dollop of Sour Cream and another blizzard of chives. Drizzle the tomato slices with drops of red wine vinegar, then salt and pepper the slices and add the sour cream to the plate. Perfect! Here’s the recipe for Cheeseburger Chopped Steak.
Cheeseburger Chopped Steak
The pure comfort of a stuffed Cheeseburger with a surprise inside--gourmet fried onion pieces.
Ingredients
- ½ lb. Ground Beef, preferably 80/20 Lean to Fat
- 2 Slices of American Cheese
- 6 oz. Fried Onion Pieces (divided)
- Salt and Pepper
Directions
- Step 1 Divide the ground beef into two equal-sized balls. Put the balls side by side on a cutting board. Using the ball of your hand, press each ball into a patty about ¾-inch thick.
- Step 2 Place a slice of cheese atop each patty, removing the corners to leave a half-inch space around the entire patty. Put a tablespoon of fried onion pieces atop each piece of cheese.
- Step 3 Put one patty atop the other and crimp the edges of the burger to form a seal.
- Step 4 Put the finished patty In a cold cast iron skillet. Turn the heat up to high. Turn the burger over after 2 minutes. Continue to flip the burger every two minutes. At the 8-minute mark, use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature. It should be a minimum of 145 degrees for medium-rare. Worth noting: the USDA recommends cooking store-bought ground beef to 160 degrees. When Chopped Steak achieves the desired degree of doneness, let it rest while you make the Tomatoes with Sour Cream.
- Step 5 Plate the Chopped Steak and cover and surround it with the fried onion pieces. Serve with Tomatoes and Sour Cream
