The French Burger

I must say, Pierre is really having fun creating fillings to put between sliced bread!  We’ve been working on a holiday photo shoot at my home, which will appear in Living next year.  Unfortunately, I can’t share much of those ‘behind the scenes’ because Eric Pike, Father Christmas and Creative Director at Living, begged us not to give away any of his new finds for next season.  However, I can share with you what Pierre made for lunch to feed the crew.  He called it the French burger.

He started with really nice ground beef chuck and added carrots, celery, and onion that he chopped finely in the food processor and lightly sautéed in a bit of olive oil.  He added that mixture to the meat along with some Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and salt and freshly ground pepper.

Pierre also sautéed a generous amount of thinly sliced onions in olive oil and red wine until they were tender and golden brown.  He then made rösti, which is a large potato pancake, cooked in a sauté pan.  His batter consisted of grated potatoes, sautéed onions, chopped parsley, spinach, watercress, some eggs, a bit of Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper.

Pierre sliced baguettes lengthwise and brushed the insides with some more Dijon.  He formed the meat into oblong patties to fit the baguettes and sautéed them in a large pan until rare.  Meanwhile, he spread the sautéed onions on the baguette.  Next came the cooked burgers, slices of the crisp rösti , a liberal sprinkling of grated Comté, which is similar to Gruyere cheese, and finally, sliced tomatoes.  He placed the top of the baguette on and put the whole thing in a hot oven, for a few minutes, to melt the cheese.  Pierre then served his creation by slicing the baguettes between each burger, making perfect individual portions.  Pierre said that even though it was a French burger, American ketchup is highly recommended!

To mix with the chuck

The chuck,  ready to be molded into oblong patties

The Rösti components , this will be mixed all together and placed in sauté pan

Oblong Patties, ready for the next stage

Rösti, ready to slice up and place in sandwich

The onions, being prepped

Brushing the toasted Baguettes with mustard

Cooking the burgers French style (not on the grill)

This will feed five!

A close up of this mouth watering French burger!

Comments

[Bryan Froden (Pop Jr.)]

Wow! Who needs fries with that?
I honestly can say this is the first time I’ve ever been inspired by a hamburger. I can’t wait to attempt this one! Thanks Pierre.

[kristen]

I am asking Santa for a Pierre under my tree. My, oh my that looks good.

[Kathy]

Martha,
Thanks for inspiration for lunch with delicious layers of flavor!
Kathy

[Carol]

Can not wait to try this tonight. Yum! You are inspiring me to try blogging. I do not know much about it. I do know we recently had a snow storm that I would like to post some pictures and video about, so that my grown children can view my happenings. I have a quick link to your blog, and enjoy it.

[Andrew Ritchie]

Eat your heart out, Ronald McDonald!

-Andrew

[Trish]

I almost forgot to comment; I was half-way out the door to get the ingredients the second I saw the finished product! One will feed five, huh? Okay, I want the big piece on the right side of the picture. YUM! I'll let you know later how mine turned out. Trish

[Jennifer]

This looks yummy. Now I want a burger ASAP. I really enjoy the recipes and photos of Pierre's creations, keep them coming!

[bpfister]

That is the best sounding and looking burger I have ever seen. I think I will attempt to recreate this one. I would love to have my own chef, yours seems so creative.

[Susie]

I love Pierre! I made his 3-cheese fritatta and it was a HUGE hit...Now, everything I see of his,I want to make :) :)

[Deborah]

Love a rare burger that is fried in a pan......delicious!

[cheri]

Love your blog and really enjoy your show. Can't wait to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing!

[Kala]

It looks so yummy, can't wait to try and taste it. 1 to feed 5 ...wow.

[Linda Gail]

I'm definitely going to need the gym after lunch tomorrow. I say tomorrow, because I've got to get a good chuck steak to grind up for the burger. And the cheese and a beautiful Vidalia onion for the sauteed onions. If this keeps up I'm going to have to be on 2 diets because of a great french chef.

[Jan Erickson]

Hi Martha, Your blogs are getting better and better all the time. Will Pierre's recipes for all of the delicious food you have shown on your blog be in his new cookbook he is working on? I love all of your shows and especially enjoyed the 25th anniversary show and the tribute to your Mother that aired today. I am now on my way to Costco to get your ham. Can hardly wait for the new food that will be on sale soon. Have a great time in the Caribbean. Was so nice to talk to you and Lucinda on Sirius today. Jan

[GirlInTheWorld-JeannieP]

Mrs. Kostyra will always hold a special place in my heart. Being part Polish (and Spanish), I was always so happy to watch her energetically create all those great Polish dishes that I love so much. I remember cutting out the section on her when she was featured in the magazine and showing it to everyone in my family. I still have it with all the recipes. She was quite a woman!!!

ON BURGERS:
An excellent lunch idea. With that, I would add a nice bowl of Potage Parmentier (simple potato and leek soup)and a nice glass of Franciscan Oakville 2000 "Magnificat". Bon Appetit!!!

[Claudine]

That is one amazing hamburger...... Looks wonderful.

That looks like a good after christmas treat!

Thank you
Claudine

[Dianne Klinski]

I read this recipe to my husband who is mainly a hot dish/ meat and potatoes kind of guy and he thought it sounded really good too! He loves to cook with onions and can whip up some really good hot dishes with just plain stuff. I can't wait to try this!!

[Ruth]

What a glorious burger. Not only am I going to make this...I'm going to make a party of it. Definitely a meal to impress! Thanks for sharing.

[Trish]

I made this masterpiece of Pierre's for lunch today and I have to say it was the juiciest best tasting burger I have ever eaten; and I have tasted a lot of hamburgers! The rösti made it an even more delicious meal on a bun. As far as I can see, there is no reason to eat a burger any other way. Andrew said it perfectly when he said, "Eat your heart out Ronald McDonald!" I totally agree. BTW, make sure to dry the potatoes after you grate them and before you add the rest of the ingredients. (I'm always learning from my mistakes!) Trish

[Barbara Bear]

I'm a real burger nut. Love 'um. This is absolutely the most apetizing burger I've ever seen. This almost has inspired me to get back into burger making.

[Deborah Dowd]

That is what I call a burger!Thanks for the mouth-watering pictures!

[Elif]

Dear Martha Stewart,
You are a person with full of inspirations and i admire you.
This is excellent idea for a burger and thank you very much for sharing.And thanks to pierre for great recipe.
But i wish to get that recipe ?Will you publish it?i m looking forward to cook it.
Best Regards,
Elif
venuslezzeti.blogspot.com