I recreated a burger that has been, wether you like it or not, one of the most popular burgers around the world: the Big Mac. But instead of using mediocre ingredients, I put a high-quality spin on this classic recipe. - 3/4 chuck & 1/4 sirloin - Organic romain lettuce - Wisconsin aged cheddar (3-4 months) - Homemade thousand island dressing (special sauce)
After grinding the meat myself with a food processor, I created the patties, salted and peppered them generously, and then cooked them on a hot skillet. I made the thousand island dressing from a Saveur magazine recipe which is an interpretation of the Waldorf-Astoria's recipe. The ingredients are as follows.
- 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use Helman's Olive Oil which is much lower in fat) - 3-4 Heinz chili sauce - 2 tbsp. minced sweet onion - 2 tbsp. minced sweet pickles - 1 tsp. pickling juice from sweet pickles - 1 tbsp. minced, drained, jarred pimientos - Salt and fresh cracked pepper (to taste)
Put all ingredients in a bowl and then salt and pepper to taste.
I buttered and toasted an onion bun (the freshest bun I could find at the local grocery store) and topped it with the homemade "special sauce," the burger and melted cheese, and the chopped organic romaine lettuce. When it's all said and done, the flavor of the Big Mac was definitely present, but the increased level of taste quality was undeniable. And hey, there were probably less calories too.
