Ingredients
For the Burger:
- 1 pound Cedar Springs ground veal
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 16 ounce block of Gruyere cheese, grated
- 5 brioche buns (potato rolls are a good substitute)
- kosher salt, to taste
- fresh cracked pepper, to taste
- red leaf lettuce
- veggie oil
For the Onions:
- 2 pounds yellow onions, sliced
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme
- 1/4 cup cognac or brandy
- 1 cup of low sodium veal stock or beef stock
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Instructions
To make the onions:
- Melt butter in heavy bottom pan/pot over medium heat. Add sliced onions, bay leaf, and cook for 45 minutes until soft and caramelized, stirring often. (You can’t rush this step, so take your time, this can be done 1 day ahead of time.)
- Add the cognac and thyme and cook until almost all of the cognac has dissolved.
- Add the veal/beef stock, salt, and a few cracks of fresh pepper, lower the heat to medium-low and cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated.
- Take off heat and set aside.
To make the cheese crisp:
- Preheat oven to 400 °F. Line a sheet tray with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Measure 1 heaping tablespoon of grated cheese, and mound it on lined sheet tray. Use you finger to spread that pile out into a circle. Add a touch of cracked pepper on top and repeat 4 more times.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown, keep an eye on these because they burn quickly.
- Take out of the oven and set aside, they will harden into crackers within 10 minutes.
To make the Veal Burgers:
- Form 6 ounce portions of ground veal into a large meatball. Using a ring mold, lid of a peanut butter or mayo jar, or your hands, form the burger patties in a uniform size.
- Chill the burgers in the fridge until right before you cook them.
- Preheat a cast iron pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of veggie oil.
- Grab the burgers from the fridge and season one side with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a couple cracks of pepper. Place seasoned side down in the pan.
- Use your fingers to make a wide dimple in the middle of the burgers; this will prevent them from plumping up like a football while cooking.
- Season the topside of your burgers with same amount of salt and pepper and let cook for 5 minutes on the first side.
- Flip burgers, you should have a beautiful crust. Cook for one more minute then add a small handful of grated cheese on each burger, toss 2-3 ice cubes in the pan and cover with a lid. The ice will help the cheese melt evenly and add extra moisture to the burger.
- Cook burgers for 3 more minutes and then transfer to a plate to rest for 2 minutes.
- In a small bowl mix the mayonnaise and mustard together and set aside and toast your buns if you desire.
- To build your burger smear some mayo-dijon mixture on the bottom bun, top with a piece of lettuce, the burger, a generous amount of cognac braised onions, the cheese crisp, and the top bun. Enjoy!
