zuni hamburger

 I'm going to start by saying you will rarely see amazing photos on this blog (and this one is definitely not an exception). We are way more into the food than taking pictures of the food. As you can see, it didn't even occur to me to snap this pic before I had scarfed down a couple of bites. The other thing you should know is that my husband, Derek, is an amazing cook. We eat at home most of the time for a few reasons. One, we can save some moolah. Two, we can stay healthy because we know what is in each dish. Three, the food is better than most restaurants.This burger, from the amazing and late Judy Rogers of the Zuni Cafe, is one of our splurges. The process begins a day before the meal, cutting the boneless chuck steak (from Pino's Prime Meat Market on Sullivan - only takes cash) into chunks and salting it overnight. Grind it the next day (this is where the Kitchenaid accessories come in handy - only a few survived the move to the city with our limited space). I think the salting gives it both a better flavor and texture. We went with a typical sesame seed bun instead of the focaccia in the original recipe. Also, our toppings included a bit of dijon mustard, mayo and ketchup, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Strictly a no-cheese zone in most cases.The pickles you see are from The Pickle Guy in LES - fresh, half-sour, and full-sour all in attendance. Smashed potatoes are the perfect accompaniment - boil in salted water first, smash with a fork, coat with olive oil, and then roast until crispy on the outside. Calorie count before the wine (wine courtesy of my associate, Lisa, from her Italian vacation - thanks!) is just under 600. Obviously almost double my typical weekday meal, but a great option for the weekend.