Big Blue Burger

This big burger is made with a ground beef patty stuffed with blue cheese and topped with confit tomatoes, a port reduction and a homemade ranch dressing.
Directions for: Big Blue Burger

Ingredients

Confit Tomatoes

4 Italian tomatoes

1 cup olive oil

8 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 Tbsp dried oregano

Salt and pepper

Porto Reduction

1 cup port

Ranch Dressing

cup sour cream

cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp onion powder

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped

2 Tbsp French shallots, finely chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Assembly

24 oz ground beef

1 Tbsp steak spice

4 oz blue cheese

4 Brioche-style hamburger buns

1 red onion, sliced

Barbecue chips

Arugula

Black pepper

Directions

Confit Tomatoes

1. Preheat oven to 275F and bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Prepare a large ice bath with water and ice cubes.

3. Slice an X into the bottom of the tomatoes and plunge them into the boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds, until tomato skin starts to crack open.

4. Remove tomatoes from the water and plunge into the ice bath immediately.

5. Peel the tomatoes and cut them in half lengthwise; place halved tomatoes onto a baking sheet with the insides facing up.

6. Drizzle tomatoes liberally with olive oil and season with garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.

7. Bake tomatoes on the middle rack for about 2 hours, until tomatoes are brown on the edges.

Porto Reduction

1. While tomatoes bake, add port to a medium sauce pot and cook over medium low heat for about 30 minutes, until port reaches a syrup consistency and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

2. Pour hot reduction into a squeeze bottle or bowl and set aside to cool.

Ranch Dressing

1. In a medium bowl, stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, and French shallots

2. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

3. Cover and refrigerate dressing until assembly.

Assembly

1. In a large bowl, stir together beef, steak spice, and a pinch of black pepper.

2. Mix well and shape into four 6-ounce patties, being careful not to pack the meat too tightly. Using your thumb, make a slight indent on top of the patty.

3. Preheat grill or a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.

4. Cook burgers on the first side for about 4 minutes; flip and continue cooking for an additional 4 minutes, until burger juices run clear and meat is no longer pink in the centre.

5. Remove burgers from grill or skillet and stuff indent with blue cheese, to taste.

6. Toast buns on the grill and warm reserved Confit Tomatoes in a pan over medium heat.

7. To build the burger, spread reserved Ranch Dressing liberally over the bottom half of the bun.

8. Add burger patty to the bun and top with warm Confit Tomatoes, sliced onion, and 1 teaspoon of the reserved Porto Reduction.

9. Create a stack of barbecue chips in one hand. Pile arugula over top and slide the stack onto the burger.

10. Add the top half of the bun and skewer burger together.

11. Repeat with remaining burgers and serve.

Tips and Substitutions

Special Equipment: Squeeze bottle (optional), grill or cast iron skillet, 4 bamboo skewers

Confit Tomatoes take 2 hours to cook. Porto reduction takes 1 hour to reduce.

Leftover Porto Reduction will keep for up to 2 weeks if covered and refrigerated. Leftover Ranch Dressing will keep for up to a week if covered and refrigerated.