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Smash Burgers with Special Sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 People

Ingredients

  • 1 lb grass-fed ground beef (80/20)*
  • Avocado oil or olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 8 slices American cheese or other melty cheese
  • 4 potato burger buns
  • 1 tomato, thinly sliced
  • Shredded lettuce iceberg or romaine

For the special sauce:

  • ½ cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup finely chopped pickles
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • *You want beef with higher fat content to get nice and browned/crispy patties.
  • Note: serve these burgers with the German Potato Salad for an epic Father’s Day meal!

Items you can prep ahead (optional)

  • Form burger balls
  • Make special sauce

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to the lowest setting and place a baking sheet inside (to keep burgers warm).
  • To make the special sauce, add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix to combine.
  • Divide the ground beef into 8 (2 oz) portions and roll each into a ball.
  • Place a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add about 1 teaspoon oil and carefully rub around the pan to coat.
  • Place a meat ball in the pan and immediately press it down firmly using a metal spatula to place on top of the patty and a metal measuring cup to smash it down (see video) into a thin, flat patty. Repeat with as many burgers as can fit in your pan (between 2-4). Sprinkle each patty with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and let cook for 2-3 minutes, undisturbed, or until deeply browned. Use a metal spatula to flip each patty (making sure not to lose any of that brown crust) and cook for another 1 minute on the other side.
  • Top each patty with cheese for the last 30 seconds. Stack one patty on top of the other and transfer to the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining burgers. Toast your buns in the pan.
  • Add special sauce to bottom bun, top with tomato, lettuce, patties with cheese, and top bun. Serve with German Potato Salad (if desired).

Notes

Substitutions:

  • This one can’t be made vegetarian, so whip up the Sun-dried Tomato Quinoa Burgers instead!
  • 80/20 ground beef is the best for these because it will create more browning, but you could also make it with a lower % fat or ground bison.
  • Use any toppings you like. American cheese is the classic (and the best for these in my opinion), but any melty cheese will do!

Storage:

  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge:
    • Smash burgers: up to 4 days in the fridge
    • Special sauce: up to 7 days in the fridge

Leftovers + Repurposing:

  • Add leftover patties chopped up to power bowls. Simpy warm them up in the microwave or oven.
  • Special sauce is delicious on sandwiches!