By: Nicholas Leiss
Bread, Cheese, Cooked Vegetables, Fried Vegetables, Meat, Preserves, , ,

Barnburner Burger with Thrice-cooked Fries

Here it is! The iconic burger and fries. This burger is based on two things: great ingredients and great technique. The motto “less is more” definitely applies here. The first great ingredient you’ll need is Barnburner Cheese from Grafton Village Cheese Company in Vermont. This aged, smoked cheddar is naturally dyed with annatto seeds, which lends a wonderful orange hue.

You’ll melt that cheese over a burger blend from your local butcher. In this case, Marbled Meat in Cold Spring, NY hooked me up with a blend of equal parts short rib and brisket made from grass-fed beef from Autumn Harvest Farm.

Last, but certainly not least, is the pièce de résistance: the bun! You’ve gone through all this effort finding a great meat and cheese to make this glorious burger. Now, you know, you’re gonna have to show up with a brioche burger bun from Newburgh Flour Shop to put the bow on that delicious burger gift.

Thrice-cooked Fries

What are thrice-cooked fries? This is a chef’s secret to get crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside fries. These thick-cut fries tie the Barnburner Burger together perfectly.

Prep Time: 5 to 10 minutes, plus freezing overnight two times

First Cook Time: 5 minutes

Twice Cook Time: 5 minutes

Thrice Cook Time: 3 to 5 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 potatoes, cut into 1-inch wedges
  • 1/2 cup potato starch, divided into two portions
  • 2 quarts vegetable oil
  • Water, to cover the potato wedges

Day 1: Once-cooked Fries

“Once cooked” means to blanch or precook in water.

Step by Step

  1. Place the potatoes in a large stock pot
  2. Cover with lukewarm water
  3. Place the pot of water and potatoes over medium-high heat
  4. Bring to a boil, then as soon as it comes to a boil, drain the potatoes
  5. Next, toss the potatoes in half the potato starch
  6. Place the potatoes on a plate and freeze overnight

Farm2ChefsTable Tip: Potato starch is the secret ingredient to a crispy, crunchy fry. To prevent the starch from lifting off the fries as they cook, I coat the potatoes in starch and freeze them first to lock those starch granules onto the fries. 

Day 2: Twice-cooked Fries

“Twice cooked” happens when the frozen fries are deep fried at a low temperature to fully cook them through without browning. 

Step by Step

  1. Fill a large stock pot with vegetable oil, making sure the oil only fills the pot halfway since the oil will rise once you begin to fry the fries. This is crucial, as it can be dangerous if the pot is filled too high with oil
  2. Preheat the oil to 300F degrees
  3. In batches, carefully place the fries in the pot of oil

Farm2ChefsTable Tip: Working in batches prevents overcrowding the pot, which would cause the fryer oil to cool too much and affect cooking time.

  • Pre-fry the fries at 300F degrees for 3 to 5 minutes until fork tender
  • Carefully remove the fries and drain on a paper towel
  • Reserve the vegetable oil for later use
  • Once again, the fries are tossed in potato starch, cooled, then frozen overnight

Day 3: Finishing the Fries and Preparing the Sauce. Bun & Burgers

Thrice-cooked Fries

Now comes the thrice-cooked stage. This step achieves a golden-brown crispiness that everyone loves when it comes to fries.

Step by Step

  1. Preheat the reserved vegetable oil to 350F degrees
  2. Carefully place the fries in the oil, working in small batches at a time
  3.  Fry until they are “GBD” (golden brown and delicious!)
  4.  Drain and place them onto a paper towel
  5.  Season with salt

It’s a bit of work to make thrice-cooked fries, but you will definitely be patting yourself on the back (and properly addicted) to these fries. You’ll absolutely want to share them with friends and family.

Farm2ChefsTable Special Sauce

Prep Time: 2 to 3 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons Sriracha
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup

Step by Step

  1. In a medium bowl, mix everything together
  2. Store in an airtight container
  3. Use as dip, or smear on your favorite burger bun

Crafting the Barnburger Burger

Prep Time: 10 to 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 to 15 minutes

Special Equipment: Cast iron pan or heavyweight sauté pan

Yield: 3 double-decker burgers (6 patties in total)

Ingredients:

  • 1-1/2 lbs. freshly ground beef (ask your local butcher for equal parts short rib and brisket)

Farm2ChefsTable Tip: Why brisket & short rib for burgers? They’re super meaty and have a good amount of marbling, which yields a slightly higher fat content. When the fat renders from the burger during cooking, the meat sears in the fat, making the burger sear even crispier.

  • 3 slices of Barnburner cheese from Grafton Village Cheese Company
  • 9 red onions, thinly sliced
  • 12 pickle rings, your favorite kind
  • 3 brioche buns from Newburgh Flour Shop
  • Farm2ChefsTable special sauce, recipe above
  • Grapeseed oil, as needed
  • Salt, to taste

Step by Step

Patty Time & Seasoning

  1. Form the ground beef into 6 patties, weighing about 4 oz. each
  2. Preheat a cast iron pan or heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat
  3. Generously season the burger patties with salt

Smash the Burgers

  • Once the pan is preheated, slick the bottom with grapeseed oil
  • Carefully places the burger patties in the pan without crowding them, as that will cool the pan and prevent a nice crust from forming on the burger

Flip the Burger & Add Cheese

  • Ok, now you’re searing the burger. Don’t flip it. Smash it!

Farm2ChefsTable Tip: The trick with this burger is to give it a little smash with a spatula, which helps form a crust on the meat. Resist the urge to flip the burger. Instead, cook it on one side about 90% of the way and then flip and cook for 30 seconds on the other side.

  • Lay a slice of Barnburner cheese and a few thinly sliced red onions on top of each patty, then stack them double-decker style (two patties per burger)
  • Set the burgers aside to rest

Toast the Bun

  • Drain most of the fat from the pan, allowing about 1 tablespoon of pan drippings to remain
  •  Turn the burner to low heat
  •  Toast the Newburgh Flour Shop brioche bun in the residual pan drippings

Assemble the Burger

  1.  Smear the bun with Farm2ChefsTable special sauce (recipe above)
  2.  Place your favorite pickle slices on top
  3.  Place each double-decker burger on a bun
  4.  Enjoy your Barnburner Burger with a side of fries.