Animal Burgh’er

Burgh’er-meister Fiore Moletz visits New York for an epic weekend in tandem with a fellow chef. They decide to memorialize their trip as only chefs would: in a burger. They piled fresh basil, tomato, cream cheese, jalapeños, onion, and a hefty burger inside a potato bun, and there it was — their weekend on a plate. “That burger is an animal!” exclaimed one of the first people to try their creation. That Animal Burgh’er name has stuck to this day.

Animal Burgh’er Recipe

4 servings

Animal Burgh’er Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds local grass-fed ground beef
• 4 potato buns
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 10 basil leaves
• 4 slices tomato
• 2 jalapeños, sliced into thin wheels
• 4 ¼-inch slices of cream cheese
• 1 red onion, cut into very thin ribbons

Burgh’er Preparation

1. Roll the ground beef into 4 round balls.
2. Toast buns in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Set aside in a warm place.
3. Add your balls to the hot pan, leaving enough room to smash the burgers very thin.
4. Cook until the bottoms are nice and caramelized. (You should be able to move the balls around the pan without them sticking.) Smash the balls until they are the just a little bigger than the circumference of the bottom bun. Thin is key! Season with salt and pepper.
5. Flip the burgers when they are nice and caramelized. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Cook to medium rare, about three to four minutes on each side.
7. Build your burger: top bun, basil, tomato, jalapeños, cream cheese, onion, burger, bottom bun.

Animal Burgh’er cheat code: Add Italian dressing to the toasted side of the top bun before you build it!

Recipe by Fiore Moletz / Photography by Adam Milliron / Styling by Quelcy Kogel