Servings: 4
Start to finish: 1 hour (40 minutes active)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing on the bread
3 cups packed thinly sliced onion
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic plus 1 whole clove cut in half
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/3 cup beef or chicken broth or water
Black pepper
Four 4-inch pieces of French bread, cut in half
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, shaped into 4 burgers
3 ounces thinly sliced Gruyere
1/3 cup red wine
In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook the onion, uncovered, stirring frequently, until the onion is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add the minced garlic and the thyme and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the beef broth and cook, stirring the onions constantly to scrape up the glaze at the bottom of the pan, until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add salt and pepper to taste and set it aside. Clean and dry the skillet and return it to the burner.
While the onions are cooking, preheat the broiler. Brush the cut sides of the French bread liberally with olive oil and on a sheet pan broil the bread cut side up, until it is golden. Remove from the oven and rub the cut sides with the cut sides of the garlic clove. Transfer the French bread halves to each of 4 plates. In a small bowl stir together the mayonnaise and the mustard and spread the mixture evenly on all the cut sides of the bread.
In the skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over high. Season the burgers on both sides with salt and pepper and add them to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook the burgers until they are nicely browned (but not cooked through), about 2 minutes a side. Remove the skillet from the heat, spoon off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pan and top each burger with one-fourth of the onion mixture and one-fourth of the cheese. Pour the wine into the skillet and put it back on the burner. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the skillet and cook the burgers just until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute.
Transfer the burgers to one of the French bread halves on each of the plates. Simmer the liquid, scraping the bottom of the skillet until it is syrupy and spoon some of it over each burger. Top with the remaining French bread half and serve right away.
Nutrition information per serving: 628 calories; 307 calories from fat; 34 g fat (11 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 100 mg cholesterol; 665 mg sodium; 42 g carbohydrates; 2 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 36 g protein.
Sara Moulton, Associated Press
