Crafting great burgers has been one of the most satisfying experiences his culinary career. This from a man who earned three stars from The New York Times and oversaw President Barack Obama's first state dinner.
"As a chef coming up, I always had this love affair with the burger," says Marcus Samuelsson, who got his start at a three-star Michelin restaurant in France. "We work with this French food all day. But at night we want a burger."
And so Samuelsson -- who was born in Ethiopia, raised in Sweden and learned to cook across Europe -- embraced the burger, which he calls "the most iconic meal in America."
But like the rest of his cooking -- a fusion of European sensibilities and American and African ingredients -- Samuelsson's burgers blend cultures. And he says he has a rich palette from which to draw.
"When you do the history of the burger, you realize that every country and culture in the world has something like a beef patty with bread and a pickle," he says. "It really shows how unified we are as a people. We want something comforting. We want some heat on it. And we want something pickled on it. And that's essentially what a burger is."
For his contribution to the AP's 20 Burgers of Summer series, Samuelsson went with bison meat because of its iconic stature in the U.S. He tops that all-American meat with a fried egg, heirloom tomatoes and a spicy ketchup spiked with horseradish, smoked paprika and chili powder.
"It's something you can really put your personality into," Samuelsson says of burgers. "You can't do that with beef bourguignon."
Buffalo Burger with Spicy Ketchup
Serves 4
For the ketchup:
2 red bell peppers
2 poblano peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons horseradish
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
8 drops Tabasco or other hot sauce
For the burgers:
1 pound buffalo loin, fat trimmed, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 pound flank steak, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped, plus 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
2 shallots, chopped
1/4 pound shredded Jack cheese, plus 4 slices
5 drops Tabasco or other hot sauce
4 drops Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 Napa cabbage leaves, cut in half
4 potato buns
4 eggs
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 heirloom tomato, sliced
To make the ketchup:
- Brush all 4 peppers with the olive oil. One at a time, use tongs to hold the peppers over a gas burner, turning until well charred. Set the peppers aside until cool enough to handle. Once the peppers have cooled, peel and discard the skins, then halve each pepper. Discard the ribs and seeds.
- In a blender, combine the ketchup and peppers. Puree until smooth, then transfer to a medium bowl. Add the mustard, horseradish, paprika, chili powder, pepper, garlic powder and hot sauce. Mix well, then set aside.
To make the burgers:
- In a large bowl combine both meats, the chopped garlic, shallots, shredded cheese, hot sauce, Worcestershire, mustard, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper and the chili powder. Use your hands to mix until well combined. Shape the meat into 4 patties, about 4 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick.
- In a large saute pan over medium, heat the olive oil. Add the cabbage and sliced garlic and saute for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Heat a grill to high. Place the buns on the grill and toast.
- Place the burgers on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Let rest for 3 minutes.
- While the burgers are resting, heat a nonstick pan over medium. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook to over-medium. Season with salt and pepper.
To serve:
Place a dollop of spicy ketchup on the bottom half of each toasted bun. Layer with the cabbage-garlic mix. Place the burger on top and arrange an egg, cheese, tomato and onion slice on the burger. Top with the other half of the bun and serve.
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