Onion-Dijon Burgers with Gruyere and Baby Greens

I love a good cheeseburger, but don’t necessarily want it served with a big ol’ bun. I love carbs as much as the next person, but too much bun detracts from the deliciously seasoned patty, melty cheese and other toppings. I want just enough bread to hold everything together so I can still eat the burger with my hands -- anything more than that and you run the risk of either wasting food or going into a food coma.

With that in mind, I wanted to use something for this recipe that didn’t have too much bulk but other than a standard sesame-seed bun. I got excited when spotting some ciabatta rolls at Trader Joe’s, but they were massive, so I opted for the pane rustico, a broad, flat loaf that I could cut into eight pieces to make reasonably sized buns. Can’t find pane rustico? Ciabatta’s a great alternative.

While the topper on the burger pictured above might look a bit tall, I promise that this bread has some air to it and smashes down quite nicely when you pick up this deliciously juicy burger and take a bite.

Onion-Dijon Burgers with Gruyere and Baby Greens
Serves 8 
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons plus one teaspoon dijon mustard, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cups diced yellow onion (from 1 large onion)
2 pounds lean (90/10) ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 loaf pane rustico or any broad, flat loaf (like ciabatta), cut into eight pieces and sliced
Sliced gruyere
Baby greens salad mix
Equipment: 2 baking sheets and 2 skillets or frying pans

Use a fork to whisk mayonnaise with 2 tablespoons dijon in a small bowl and put it in the fridge until you’re ready to build the burgers.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread bread slices in a single layer on two baking sheets and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring often, for 7-8 minutes, until dark golden brown. Transfer onions to large mixing bowl and add ground beef, remaining dijon, salt and pepper. Combine mixture with your fingers and then form eight patties.

Add one tablespoon oil to the skillet you used to cook the onions, and the remaining oil to your second skillet or frying pan. Use your spatula to move the oil around so the surface of each pan has a consistent, light coating. Cook patties (4 to a pan) at high heat for 4 minutes before flipping. Add sliced gruyere and continue to cook patties for an additional 4-6 minutes or until they’re cooked to your liking.

Once you’ve flipped the patties, put bread in the oven and toast for 3-4 minutes and remove from oven.

Build each burger with two slices of bread, one patty, a handful of baby greens and a good smear of the dijon/mayonnaise spread.