Hamburgers

Friday Jan. 19 -
No, seriously. Sometimes you just need a good, juicy hamburger, and since the hamburger haven of Barbara's childhood, Meyer's in Jackson Heights, closed thirty years ago, if you want a burger close to that ideal, you have to do it yourself.
Of course, there must be fries - in this case, oven-fries. Holt made them of yukon golds cut into wedges, rolled in goose-fat, salted, and roasted at 450 degrees. Barbara made the approximation of Meyer's grilled onions - actually, they're sweated under very low heat in a covered pan until they caramelize, and are dusted with salt and paprika. You set those aside and cook the hamburgers themselves in the same pan; they're just regular 20-percent-fat ground beef as it comes out of the styrofoam tray, shaped into patties without pressing or working too much. Serve on a toasted English muffin, with the onions and huge amounts of ketchup on top. Hamburger heaven.