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So good it’s sinful
A burger too good to only be eaten on Fat Tuesday
By Miranda Agee
Skip the Miracle Whip and join the real mayonnaise club. Imported French mayo comes in its true form, thin and yellow.
Our first snow day of the year (second in two months) fell upon us last week. Unfortunately, it was the day after Fat Tuesday. Because of that, our beautiful day of staying inside couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient time.
Fat Tuesday, for those non-Catholics out there, is the last day before the Lenten holiday begins. Usual Mardi Gras activities include beads, parties and food.
I added politics into my mess of Fat Tuesday activities, watching the percentages of red and blue go up and down all night long.
I get excited for this day every year, planning weeks in advance what I am going to eat. This year, it was all about the big fat juicy burger with homemade twice fried potatoes. To end the meal, the master chef in my apartment made mouth watering brownies and homemade vanilla bean ice cream. Talk about sinful.
Burgers were excellent, brownies were deceptively good and the ice cream was divine.
Only problem was, we had two leftover burger patties that needed to be cooked, half a sheet of brownies and half a quart of ice cream left over.
There was no way we could eat the leftovers the next day, Ash Wednesday. That is the day of fasting and prayer. Needless to say, the snow day changed fasting and prayer into an empty plate of brownies and two full bellies.
Let me tell you about this burger we had. First, we started at Milwaukee’s favorite bread store, Sciortino’s on Brady Street. For decades, this little ma-and-pop of a bakery has been supplying Eastsiders and suburbanites alike with its authentic crusty bread.
For this monster of a burger, we decided on the sesame seed bun because of its density.
Next, I have to mention the ever important meat. For ultimate flavor and juiciness, grinding your own meat is really the only option for a truly great burger. However, for those who do not own their own meat grinder, the ground chuck at almost any grocery store will do.
And, you can’t have a sinful burger without some sinful cheese. Roaring 40’s Bleu cheese from Australia was our decadent choice. At almost 20 dollars a pound, this cow’s milk bleu isn’t cheap.
However, if you shop at a grocery store where they are kind enough to slice your cheese for you, ask for one or two thin slices. You will find, because of its creaminess and sharp nutty flavor, a thin slice is all you will need.
Next on our list was the mayo. Skip the Miracle Whip and join the real mayonnaise club. Imported French mayo comes in its true form, thin and yellow (the way it should be, not white and Jell-O like) and helps to cut some of the strong flavor of the cheese. We then sliced some red onion and added locally made dill pickles to pump up the flavor.
After being on the grill pan for only five minutes on each side, our beautiful medium-rare patties were ready to be devoured.
Having this same meal two nights in a row has forced me to log a few more minutes (actually, hours) on the treadmill this week, but I don’t mind. That burger was one of the best I have ever eaten.
I am thrilled that the snow forced me to cancel my dining out plans last week. Otherwise, I never would have written about my at-home burger experience.
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