Recipe courtesy of chef Sara Moulton.

My first official cooking job was in the mid-'70s at a bar in Ann Arbor, Michigan (where I went to college), called the Del Rio. They featured live jazz on weekends. It was a democratic place; all decisions were made by common vote and it felt like one big family. The food we cooked was not all that sophisticated: chili, hamburgers, Greek salad, and soups based solidly on jars of soup base, but I got into it and prided myself on my soups in particular (the only item we did not have a formula for).

The most popular dish on the menu was a burger called the "Det" burger, which had been developed in the early '70s by one of the cooks, Bob Detweiler, when one day he got tired of making the same old burger on a bun. He topped the basic burger with what became the "Det" mixture: drained canned mushrooms, drained canned California olives, and reconstituted dried green pepper bits. He covered it with a slice of onion and cheese (his wife, Julie, the manager, suggested the cheese), and here is the most important point: He steamed it in beer! It was really delicious, the sort of burger you dream about.

I have developed my own version here using fresh mushrooms, Mediterranean olives, and canned green chiles to add a little bite. If you have the time, roasted peeled poblanos are even better, but I wasn’t sure anyone would go to that trouble on a weeknight. I made the "Det" burgers (with the poblanos) when I did a burger show on Sara’s Secrets, and Michael Romano, the chef from New York City’s three-star Union Square Café, who joined me to make his famous tuna burgers, insisted on taking the "Det" burger recipe home with him.

SERVINGS
4

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, sliced (about 1 cup)
Eight 1 1/2-inch cremini mushrooms (about 4 ounces), sliced
Kosher salt and freshly milled black pepper
One 4-ounce can sliced, peeled green chiles, drained
1/3 cup pitted, brine-cured olives such as kalamata, sliced
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, chuck or round
6 ounces Cheddar cheese, cut into 4 slices
1/3 cup beer
4 hamburger buns, split and toasted

PREPARATION

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat until hot. Reduce heat to medium; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until mushrooms have browned and liquid they release has evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Season mushroom mixture with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a bowl; add chiles and olives and set aside. Wipe out skillet.

2. Gently shape beef into four 4-inch burgers; season with salt and pepper. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet over high heat until hot. Reduce heat to medium-high, add burgers, and cook 3 minutes. Turn burgers and cook 2 minutes. Divide chile mixture onto them and top each with a slice of cheese. Add beer to skillet; cover and steam until cheese has melted, about 3 minutes.

3. Transfer burgers to toasted buns and serve.

Back to chef Moulton's bio.