Late-Night Beef Burger with Cheddar, Horseradish, and Onion

Baseball’s loss has been the food world’s gain. In 1985, Michael Schlow traded a baseball scholarship for a chef’s toque and hasn’t looked back since. He doesn’t have time to, because he’s too busy winning accolades: Food & Wine magazine called him one of the Top Ten New Chefs in the Country and named his Boston restaurant, Radius, the Best New Restaurant in 2000. Michael confesses that this burger is “nice and messy, and it makes me quite happy around midnight.”

MAKES 1 BURGER*

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

½ small red onion, thinly sliced

½ pound ground beef (20 percent fat)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 thick slice extra-sharp cheddar cheese (2 ounces), for topping

Directions

1. In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, reduce the heat to mediumlow, and cook until very soft and caramelized, 12 to 14 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and set aside for topping.

2. In a small mixing bowl, mix the ground beef with the olive oil and salt and pepper. Form the seasoned meat into a large, slightly flattened patty about 1½ inches thick and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, combine the horseradish, mayonnaise, and a pinch of pepper. Set aside for topping.

4. Heat a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Cook the burger to the desired degree of doneness (Schlow likes medium rare, which is 2 to 4 minutes per side for a burger this size). Remove from the skillet and let rest for 2 to 3 minutes.

SERVE IT UP on an extra-large English muffin, sliced and toasted with the cheese on the top half.

TOP IT OFF with the caramelized onions and horseradish mayonnaise.

Late-Night Beef Burger with Cheddar, Horseradish, and Onion