Huge Mushroom Swiss Burger
Prep
10m
Cook
18m
Total
28m
Bigly says
Folks. FOLKS. Mushroom Swiss. This is the burger that the so-called 'gourmet' burger people have been trying to make for thirty years and failing at, because they don't understand mushrooms. They don't. They throw a few sad raw mushroom slices on top, they call it 'mushroom swiss,' and they charge you $19 for it at a place with reclaimed wood walls and an Edison bulb. A scam. An insult. A disgrace to the mushroom, to the burger, to the entire concept of dinner.
Real mushroom swiss — the BIGLY mushroom swiss, the one we're making today — starts with the mushrooms. You cook them HARD. You sear them. You let them give up all their water, brown them deep, and finish them with butter and garlic and a splash of sherry — yes, sherry, sounds fancy, it's four dollars at the grocery store, do it — until they are dark and silky and almost meaty themselves. THAT is what goes on top of the burger. Not raw mushrooms. Not sad gray mushrooms. Mushrooms that have been TRANSFORMED. Mushrooms that have ACHIEVED something.
Food chemists agree on this one. I had a guy with a PhD walk me through the Maillard reaction over coffee and I told him to stop talking and just nod when I described what happens to a mushroom in a hot pan. He nodded. Statisticians have run the numbers. And the Swiss cheese — the Swiss have known cheese since before the rest of Europe figured out the wheel, pre-pyramid technology, look it up — melts into the mushrooms and they become one. Cheese and mushroom. Mushroom and cheese. A perfect, nutty, earthy, savory thing on top of the best ground chuck money can buy. People will eat this and tell you, with tears in their eyes, that they had no idea a mushroom could do that. They didn't know. Now they know. Believe me.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbground chuck(80/20)
- 1 lbcremini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced(white button works in a pinch but cremini is better)
- 3 tbspunsalted butter
- 1 tbspneutral oil
- 3 clovesgarlic, minced
- 1 tspfresh thyme leaves
- 2 tbspdry sherry(or dry white wine; in a real pinch, beef broth)
- 4Swiss cheese slices(real Swiss, with the holes, not the deli imitation slabs)
- 4sesame seed buns
- 1.5 tspkosher salt
- 1 tspfreshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbspDijon mustard
- 2 tbspmayonnaise
- 4butter lettuce leaves
Steps
- 1
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms in a single layer — don't crowd the pan, work in batches if needed.
- 2
Cook the mushrooms undisturbed for 4-5 minutes, until deeply browned on the bottom. Stir once, then continue cooking 3-4 minutes more until all the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are silky and dark.
- 3
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the garlic, and the thyme. Cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- 4
Pour in the sherry, scrape up any browned bits, and cook another 1-2 minutes until almost dry. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Remove from heat and keep warm.
- 5
Whisk the Dijon and mayonnaise together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- 6
Divide the chuck into 4 patties about 1/2-inch thick. Press a dimple into the center of each. Season both sides with the remaining salt and pepper.
- 7
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the patties 3 minutes on the first side, undisturbed.
- 8
Flip, pile a generous spoonful of the mushrooms on top of each patty, then top with a slice of Swiss. Cover the skillet loosely with foil or a lid and cook 2-3 minutes more, until the cheese is fully melted.
- 9
Toast the sesame buns cut-side down in a dry skillet for 1-2 minutes until golden.
- 10
Build: bottom bun, Dijon mayo, butter lettuce, patty with mushrooms and melted Swiss, top bun. Serve immediately.
One more thing
The mushroom swiss is the burger for people who think they're too sophisticated for a regular cheeseburger. They're wrong — nobody is too sophisticated for a regular cheeseburger, that's a personal failure on their part — but you meet people where they are, and this burger is how you do it. You serve them this, they take a bite, the mushrooms hit, the Swiss hits, the Dijon hits, and they understand. They finally understand. They've been won over. They'll come back next weekend. They'll bring friends. It happens every time. You're welcome.
★ QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ONE? ★
Ask Bigly about Huge Mushroom Swiss Burger.
Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
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