Makes 6 Servings

4 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
2 small yellow onions, coarsely chopped
2 pounds ground chuck, ground round, ground veal, or very lean ground beef, at room temperature
2 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Meat Magic
6 hamburger buns or onion rolls
Shredded lettuce
Sliced tomatoes
Sliced red onions
Mayonnaise
Creole mustard (preferred) or Dijon or yellow mustard
Kosher dills

Melt the butter in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the coarsely chopped onion and saute until transparent. Reduce the heat and continue to cook until the onions are a golden brown, about 15 minutes. (You should end up with about 3/4 cup caramelized onions.) Set aside.

Place the ground meat in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the Meat Magic over the meat and work it in well. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of Meat Magic into the meat and mix well until thoroughly incorporated. Add the onions to the meat mixture and combine. Form the meat into 6 patties about 6 ounces each and about 3/4 inch thick.

Heat a heavy griddle or large, heavy aluminum or electric skillet to 350 degrees. (Hamburgers will not stick to the surface if griddle is very hot.)

Place about 4 patties (depending on griddle or skillet size) on the griddle or skillet surface and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and cook another 3 minutes for medium rare. (For medium, cook 4 minutes per side.) Place the patties on a serving platter, then wipe the griddle or skillet surface thoroughly before cooking the remaining patties.

Serve immediately with all the traditional trimmings.

Copyright by Chef Paul Prudhomme