French Dip Burger with Havarti, Swiss and Bourbon Fried Onions
Take your burger to another level at your next cookout! The French Dip Burger with Havarti, Swiss and Bourbon Fried Onions is served with a horseradish sauce and savory beef broth much like the classic French Dip Sandwich. Juicy and flavorful, this is one for the record books.
I live with a bunch of picky eaters. And I can never keep track of their long lists of dislikes because they’re constantly changing. The little guy doesn’t like anything anymore, despite being a pretty amazing eater as a baby. He would eat anything you put in front of him but now….it depends on the weather, basically. My daughter, she hated strawberries her whole life, and oranges, or anything citrus for that matter. Now…apparently, she loves strawberries and who knows what else. And when she talks to me about foods she loves, but used to hate, she talks to me like I’m insane for ever thinking she never liked them. And I’m a terrible mom for never packing strawberries in her lunch when she was in grade school.
My husband, he’s more particular rather than picky. Or is that the same thing. Here’s an example….if he orders a french dip sandwich at a restaurant, it must have cheese on it. Even if the menu describes the sandwich without cheese he will insist it’s not a french dip sandwich (even though it is because it has a dipping broth). So, he orders it with cheese…and that’s cool because everything SHOULD have cheese. If he orders a lobster, it must have drawn (i.e. clarified) butter….not a butter sauce, not melted butter…that butter better be clear as a crystal or I’m going to hear about it for the duration of my meal. (Now I know why I see so many people eating alone in restaurants…kidding, not kidding.)
I, on the other hand, kinda go with the flow. If it’s edible, I’m going to eat it. I like to try things the way the restaurant prefers to serve them and then…I’ll go home and tweak the recipe if I think I can do better. Sometimes it works in my favor…like a Lobster Roll with a light lemony mayo or Ricotta Turkey Meatballs with Sun-Dried Tomatoes OR this French Dip Burger with Havarti, Swiss and Bourbon Fried Onions. Now, for the record….I never actually TRIED a French Dip Burger BUT I did eat many, many french dip sandwiches in my lifetime so I think I know what to do here. And I REALLY love cheeseburgers….all kinds of cheeseburgers, especially my Fajita Turkey Burger but sometimes I like a hearty, juicy burger that’s a little twisted with tons of cheese and a not so traditional sauce. Cue the spicy horseradish sauce….and the savory, mouth-watering beef “dip”. AND the bourbon fried onions. Piled high on a grilled brioche roll and you have one heck of a burger that will silence the moans of any picky eater.
This burger, like all my recipes, is incredibly easy to make. The key to keeping it tender and juicy is all in the way you form the patties. I used a Certified Angus Ground Beef that is seasoned liberally with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. I carefully fold the ingredients together and then lightly pack the meat together to form four equal sized patties. (Be careful not to overwork the meat, this will ensure a juicy burger.) Season the outside of the patties with salt and black pepper, toss on the grill and cook. Top with cheese and then place on the roll. Top with horseradish sauce, bourbon fried onions and dip away my friends. Dip away.
Get the Recipe: French Dip Burger with Havarti, Swiss and Bourbon Fried Onions
Ingredients
- 1 pound Certified Angus Ground Beef, I used 80/20
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 pound havarti cheese, sliced thin
- 1/2 pound swiss cheese, sliced thin
- For the onions:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large vidalia onions
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- For the horseradish sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoons horseradish
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
- For the beef broth:
- 2 cups low sodium beef stock
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- Four Brioche Rolls
Instructions
- Heat the grill.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef with half the salt and pepper to combine. Divide the mixture into four equal parts and lightly work to form four burger patties. Season with the remaining salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
- In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions to the pan. Cook the onions until softened and golden brown, approximately 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with the sugar and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the bourbon. Return the pan to the heat and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Stir in the thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, worcestershire sauce and chives until thoroughly combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. (The sauce can be made up to 48 hours in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.)
- Bring the beef stock to a simmer and stir in the thyme. Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes and stir in the salt and pepper. Keep warm.
- Place the burger patties on the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked to medium rare (internal temp will be 145 degrees). Top the burgers with equal amounts of cheese and turn the grill off. Add the rolls, cut side down, to the grill. Close the lid and allow the cheese to melt, approximately 3-4 minutes. Transfer the burgers and rolls to a platter. Spread 2 tablespoons of horseradish sauce on the bottom of each roll and top each with a burger. Spread 2 tablespoons of onions on the top half of the roll and place on top of the burger. Serve each burger with 1/4 cup of beef broth.
5 Comments on “French Dip Burger with Havarti, Swiss and Bourbon Fried Onions”
Oh my lord, this combination sounds out of this world, and looks it too!
Total food porn. Making these tonight!
That burger is insane looking! I want!
WHOA! I can’t wait to make these burgers for my family, and I’ll eat those amazing fried onions! YUM!
Wow, these burgers look so delicious!