Diablo Burger Doppelgänger

Kirsten Veng-Pedersen

The Doppelgänger I made. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the original.

There are burgers and then there are burgers. One of the tastiest I've had lately is the DB House burger at Diablo Burger in downtown Flagstaff. It's a moist medium-rare blackened beef patty on a toasted English muffin with mixed greens, fresh pesto, tomato and an over-easy egg on top. Nom nom. 

If it sounds a little fancy shmancy, it is but don't hold that against Diablo Burger. Sure DB makes only Belgian-style fries they call "frites," and uses condiments like Homemade Hatch Chile Mayo but seriously, the place is pretty chill. Locavores and animal lovers will applaud their largely local ingredients including free-range hormone-free beef. I applaud their stellar burgers. 

Until recently, my only must-have food on a trip to Flagstaff was the piping hot cobbler at Bigfoot BBQ and a brew or two at Beaver Street or the Lumberyard. Now I've got Diablo Burger. Unfortunately my grand plan for a weekend trip to Flagstaff (and the obvious concurrent plan to sink my teeth into another DB House Burger) was thwarted by a pesky snowstorm in the north country two weeks ago. 

I was disappointed but my hunger pangs along with a food craving that rivaled that of a pregnant woman spurred me into action. I decided to get to the meat of the issue and thus begin my copycat quest with research into crafting the perfect patty. Various resources including NPR and Bobby Flay yielded the following tips: 

The Meat 

Start with 70-80 percent lean ground beef. The extra fat keeps the patty moist and flavorful. Some people prefer to select a cut of well marbled beef chuck or a combination of chuck and brisket and have them ground by the butcher. A little Worcestershire sauce can be blended into the meat but the salt and other seasonings should be reserved for the outside of the patty rather than mixed in. This will prevent the patties from becoming tough and allow you to taste the seasonings better. When forming the patties, the meat should be handled as little as possible to prevent toughness and the patties should be made larger in diameter than you want to allow for shrinkage while cooking. Pressing down on a patty while it cooks to flatten it out is a no-no. This expels the moisture and leaves you with a dry, flavorless lump. To keep the patty flat, some people advocate making a small depression in the middle of it to counteract the shape-shifting as it cooks and shrinks. 

The Heat 

You want to seal in the juices and produce a slight crust on the burger. This can be done like searing a steak. It's best to use a heavy-duty pan like a cast iron pan for this. The pan should be preheated. The patties should only be flipped once. To enhance the searing/crust formation, the patties can be brushed with melted butter before being placed in the skillet. (For blackened burgers, blackening spices are sprinkled on after the butter brush and before the searing but watch out for the smoke!) 

Diablo Burger Doppelgänger

Ingredients (Makes 4)

• 1 pound 70-80 percent lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 
• melted butter for basting
• Blackening Spice Mix (store bought or recipe below)
• spring greens or spinach
• tomato
• 4 eggs- cooked over-easy
• pesto (store bought or recipe below)

Directions

1.  Lightly mix ground beef with water and Worcestershire sauce
2.  Form into four patties.
3.  Refrigerate for 1 hour
4.  Baste patties with butter
5.  Sprinkle with Blackening Spice Mix to taste
6. Add to preheated cast iron pan on medium-high heat (pan is hot enough when a drop of water sizzles on the surface)
7. Cook for approximately 3 minutes per side. 
8. Toast English muffins and layer with spinach or greens, a slice of tomato, the patty, an over-easy egg and a dollop of pesto. 
9. Serve with a side of fries, fancy frites or veggie chips like I did.

Blackening Spice Mix

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon ground basil
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt (sea salt is better)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika

From Food.com

Basil Pesto

Ingredients

• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup pine nuts (I used toasted blanched almonds)
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese (see Cook's Note)

Directions

1. Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
2. If using immediately, add all the remaining oil and pulse until smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl and mix in the cheese.
3. If freezing, transfer to an air-tight container and drizzle remaining oil over the top. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and stir in cheese.

From foodnetwork.com