Bistro Burger with Gruyère, Jammy Shallots & Garlic Aioli

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A French-leaning skillet burger you can pull off on a Tuesday. Ground beef gets a hard sear in cast iron, Gruyère melts into the crust, and the ketchup is replaced by two five-minute upgrades: shallots cooked down until sweet and jammy, and a garlic aioli whisked together in a bowl. It eats like a $30 bistro plate for a fraction of the price.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup good-quality mayonnaise
• 1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

• 4 large shallots, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp dry white wine or water
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 sprig fresh thyme

• 1.5 lb ground beef, 80/20
• 1.5 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp neutral oil, such as canola
• 6 oz Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated or thinly sliced

• 4 brioche or potato buns, split
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups arugula or butter lettuce leaves
• 8 slices cornichons or dill pickle, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Make the aioli: in a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, grated garlic, lemon juice, Dijon, a pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper until smooth. Cover and refrigerate — it only gets better as the garlic bloomsim, about 15 minutes minimum.
2. Cook the shallots: melt the butter with the olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced shallots, salt and sugar. Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, for 12 to 15 minutes, until deep golden, soft and collapsed. Lower the heat if they darken faster than that.
3. Add the white wine, vinegar and thyme sprig to the shallots and cook 2 minutes more, scraping up anything stuck to the pan, until the liquid is gone and the shallots look glossy and jammy. Discard the thyme, scrape into a bowl and set aside. Wipe the skillet clean.
4. Divide the beef into 4 loose portions (6 oz each) and shape into patties about 1/2 inch wider than your buns and 3/4 inch thick, pressing a shallow dimple into the center of each. Handle the meat as little as possible. Season both sides generously with the salt and pepper right before cooking.
5. Butter the cut sides of the buns. Toast them cut-side down in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until golden, then set aside on plates.
6. Heat a cast-iron skillet or heavy stainless pan over medium-high heat until you see the first wisp of smoke, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the neutral oil, swirl, then lay in the patties (two at a time if your pan is 10 inches or smaller). Do not press or move them.
7. Sear 3 to 4 minutes until a dark brown crust forms, flip once, and cook 2 minutes on the second side. Pile the Gruyère on top, add 1 tablespoon of water to a bare spot in the pan and cover with a lid or foil for 45 to 60 seconds to steam the cheese into a full melt. Aim for 130–135°F for medium.
8. Transfer the patties to a plate to rest for 3 minutes while you cook any remaining burgers. Resting keeps the juices in the burger instead of in the bun.
9. Build: swipe a generous spoonful of garlic aioli on both toasted bun halves. Add a handful of arugula to the bottom bun, then the Gruyère-melted patty, a big spoonful of jammy shallots and a few cornichon slices. Cap and press gently. Serve immediately, with any extra aioli alongside for fries.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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