Burgers

This is my go-to burger recipe. It's basic enough that I don't really need to document it for myself but thought I'd share, and maybe one day in my senility it will be nice to have it for myself. The mustard and onion idea I got from a Gordon Ramsey show- one of the older British ones when the focus was actually cooking and you could pick up some tips. Just two long, anecdotal-type instructions for this one.

A took this picture on a night when I hadn't had lunch that day and decided to do it up with a fried egg on top of the burger. Those are sweet potato fries on the side.

Ingredients
Ground beef - about 1lb. or slightly more (makes 3 hefty burgers)
1 heaping teaspoon of dijon mustard
1 egg
2-3 rounded tablespoons chopped onion
Salt and pepper

1. Mix all ingredient together. The egg helps bind the burger, says Ramsey, and it does hold together better than when I do it without the egg. The mix will be slightly gooey and that's fine- this lets you make some big burgers and the moisture burning off will steam the insides so it cooks through. If it's not slightly gooey, add a little ketchup.
   
2. Cook the burgers. If you have a grill and the weather permits, that's probably the best way to do it but I usually end up cooking these in a frying pan. I start with the heat a little above medium and cook them for about 4-5 minutes on each side, turning when they're well-browned. Don't mess press down on them or keep flipping them, just leave them alone while they brown. If you're not sure if they're done, press lightly on them with your finger (don't do this right after you flip them)- well done burgers are fairly firm. To some degree this just takes practice. If they do need more time after they've browned, lower the heat to medium low. If there's a lot of liquid in the pan, I'll sometimes tilt it by putting a wad of aluminum foil underneath one side of it and let it cook that way so they don't get soggy.