Father's Day is a great time to fire up the grill and host a classic backyard barbecue. This burger menu from Williams-Sonoma, featuring The Perfect Hamburger, Creamy Potato Salad, Cowboy Beans and Fresh Citrus Spritzers, is sure to please any dad. You can even shake things up by transforming the burgers into sliders using Williams-Sonoma's Square Slider Burger Press. And if Dad was lucky enough to receive a SodaStream sparkling water maker for Father's Day, he can put it to good use in making the spritzers!
The Perfect Hamburger
Use your imagination to jazz up a classic hamburger any way you want. For an Asian twist, omit the Worcestershire sauce and salt, add a dash of soy sauce, and use chopped green onion instead of yellow onion. For a French-style hamburger, omit the Worcestershire sauce, halve the salt, and add 1 Tbs. each of crumbled blue cheese and chopped mushrooms along with a dash of red wine. For a Provençal flavor, omit the Worcestershire sauce, double the garlic, and add 1 Tbs. each of chopped dried tomatoes and pitted black olives. Vary the garnishes along with the seasonings. For health reasons, all ground meat should be cooked at least to the medium-well stage.
1 lb. ground chuck or ground lean beef
2 Tbs. finely chopped yellow onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 or 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
4 slices cheddar or Swiss cheese (optional)
4 hamburger buns, split
Sliced tomato for serving
Sliced sweet white onion, such as Maui, Vidalia or Walla Walla, for serving
Torn lettuce for serving
Sliced dill pickle for serving
Ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard or other condiments of your choice for serving
Directions:
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat.
In a large bowl, mix together the beef, yellow onion, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Form the mixture into 4 patties, each 3/4 inch thick.
Grill the hamburgers directly over medium-high heat, turning once, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Check for doneness by cutting into a hamburger near the center or testing with an instant-read thermometer. No pink should show on the inside, and the internal temperature should register at least 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. If making cheeseburgers, place a slice of cheese on top of each hamburger during the last 3 minutes of cooking.
During the last 2 to 3 minutes of cooking, toast the hamburger buns, cut side down, on the grill. Serve the hamburgers on the buns with tomato, white onion, lettuce, dill pickle and condiments. Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Grilling, by Denis Kelly (Simon & Schuster, 2002).
Creamy Potato Salad
Serve this salad with a batch of your favorite barbecued ribs or chicken for an old-fashioned summer picnic. If desired, add 2 chopped hard-cooked eggs or 1/2 cup chopped red onion with the potatoes.
Ingredients:
3 lb. red potatoes, unpeeled
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
8 green onions, white and light green portions, thinly sliced2 celery stalks, finely chopped
3 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus parsley sprigs for garnish
3 Tbs. chopped fresh mint, plus mint sprigs for garnish
3 Tbs. chopped fresh basil, plus basil sprigs for garnish
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions:
Bring a large pot three-fourths full of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and boil until tender when pierced with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and let cool completely in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Cut the potatoes into 3/4-inch dice.
In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, lemon juice, green onions, celery, and the chopped parsley, mint and basil. Add the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently to mix.
To serve, transfer the salad to a large serving bowl and garnish with parsley, mint and basil sprigs. Serves 6.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Seasonal Celebration Series, Summer, by Joanne Weir (Time-Life Books, 1997).
Cowboy Beans
Smoke adds a distinctly campfire taste to this frontier classic. Throw in leftover smoked pork, ribs or brisket for a more substantial dish. Make sure the pot you choose will fit under the cover of your grill, or cook the beans in a fire pit or over a campfire, cowboy style. Alternatively, you can cook the beans on the stovetop. Serve as a side dish with plenty of grilled bread for mopping up the sauce.
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. thick-cut smoked bacon
1 small yellow onion, diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 lb. dried Great Northern or small white beans, picked over, soaked overnight in water to cover
and drained
1 cup basic barbecue sauce (see related recipe below)
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. dry mustard
1 Tbs. granulated garlic
1 Tbs. chili powder
Directions:
If cooking the beans on a grill, prepare a medium fire in the grill.
In a large, heavy-lidded pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp and the fat begins to render, 8 to 10 minutes. Discard the fat, leaving a few tablespoons in the pot. Add the onion to the pot, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the beans, barbecue sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, vinegar, Dijon mustard, dry mustard, garlic and chili powder. Add enough water to just cover the beans, up to 2 cups, and stir well.
Place the pot on the grill rack over the hottest part of the fire. Or, keep the pot on the burner over medium heat. Partially cover the pot and simmer the beans, stirring occasionally, until deep dark brown in color and thick, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Serve immediately.
Serves 6 to 8.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma On the Grill, by Willie Cooper (Oxmoor House, 2009).
Basic Barbecue Sauce
Serve this sweet and savory barbecue sauce as a condiment for grilled meats and vegetables. This sauce is pureed until smooth but it can also be left a little chunky, if you prefer.
Ingredients:
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 small sweet onion, diced
2 Tbs. water
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 cups tomato ketchup
1/2 cup prepared barbecue sauce
2 Tbs. molasses
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
Directions:
In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and melt the butter. Add the onion and water and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar, chili powder and cumin until the onions are coated. Stir in the ketchup, barbecue sauce, molasses and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 15
minutes. Pour the sauce into a blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Use immediately, or cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Makes 2 cups.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma On the Grill, by Willie Cooper (Oxmoor House, 2009).
Fresh Citrus Spritzers
Be sure to keep the fruits at room temperature before preparing the spritzers, as they will yield more juice than if stored in the refrigerator. If you have young chefs in the house, they can squeeze the juice from the oranges, lemons and limes and then stir everything together.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup superfine sugar
1/3 cup water
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 2 limes
Ice cubes as needed
1 bottle (750 ml) sparkling water, chilled
4 lemon peel strips
Directions:
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove the sugar syrup from the heat and let cool.
In a pitcher, stir together the sugar syrup, orange juice, lemon juice and lime juice. Fill 4 tall glasses with ice. Divide the citrus mixture among the glasses and top with sparkling water. Garnish with the lemon peel strips and serve immediately. Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Breakfast and Brunch, by Georgeanne Brennan, Elinor Klivans, Jordan Mackay and Charles Pierce (Oxmoor House, 2007).
