Ingredients
For the Patties:
3 tablespoons of cooking oil (canola, vegetable)
1-1/2 pounds of 80/20 ground chuck
3/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of tiger sauce, or hot pepper sauce, or to taste, optional
1 teaspoon of seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
About 1/3 cup of flour of all kinds, for dipping the burgers.
For the sauce:
1 large onion, cut in half and sliced (about 3 cups cut)
1 cup of meat broth
1 cup of water
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of seasoned salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, optional
1 teaspoon of browning and seasoning sauce (like Kitchen Bouquet), optional
2 cups of sliced mushrooms, optional
Instructions
Heat the cooking oil in a large, thick-bottomed stainless steel pan at mid-height. In a medium sized bowl, gently combine the ground beef, chopped onion, egg, hot sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder and pepper. Form into 4 to 6 burgers of equal size. Dip each burger in the flour and cook until golden brown on both sides; remove and set aside.
Add sliced onions to the pan and cook over medium heat until lightly caramelized, stirring regularly. Whisk together the beef broth, water, 1/4 cup flour, seasoned salt, pepper, and Worcestershire and Kitchen Bouquet, if used, until well combined. Pour into the pan with the onions and stir constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken.
Return the hamburger fillets to the pan, turn to coat, add the sliced mushrooms if using, and reduce heat to simmer. Cook, covered, for about 20 minutes more. Serve with mashed potatoes and some green beans, or a mixed garden salad on the side.
Cook’s Notes: The brown sauce for these is pretty good on its own, as it depends on the drippings in the pan, but if you have it, just that little piece of Worcestershire and Kitchen Bouquet adds a little more depth and is delicious. If you find you need a binder, add a small amount of fresh bread crumbs to the ground meat. If using pre-made hamburger patties, omit the onion, egg and hot sauce and sprinkle both sides of the patties with salt, garlic powder and seasoned pepper, pressing the seasoning a little. Then dip each burger in the flour and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Note: Tiger sauce is a type of sweet and sour hot sauce found on your store’s condiment shelf. Regular hot sauce can be substituted, or simply omitted.