Category: onion

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beef cheese onion

philly cheese stack burger mcdonald’s style

Every so often, hamburger chain McDonald’s run special burgers for a limited time. For me most of these are missable and I don’t bother, but the one they are running Oct/Nov 2023 in the UK is delicious. The Philly Cheese Stack (note stack, not cheese steak!) is a double beefburger heavy on the cheese and onions. And I think it’s well worth recreating as it won’t last forever!

Here’s what it looks like:

According to the McDonald’s website it contains:

That’s beef patties, bun, cheese slice, cheese sauce, grilled onions, pickles, crispy onions. I had a go at recreating it and I think it’s a terrific knock-off!

Here’s how I tackled the ingredients:

  • Beef patties – many ‘fakeaway’ McDonald’s recipes are on the internet. You just need a fatty mince with salt and pepper. That’s it.
  • Bun – You can make your own bun if you like, I didn’t on this occasion. Whichever soft bun you like.
  • Cheese slice – I used standard cheddar ones from the supermarket.
  • Cheese sauce – I’m sure you could make one, but I found this one from Hellman’s tastes a lot like the one McDonald’s use. Easily found in Tesco’s and other supermarkets.
  • Grilled onions – I mean, grilled is an odd word to use. In the UK that would mean pop under the grill, whereas in the US it would mean ‘barbecue’. I think it just means gently fried here.
  • Pickles – either a great condiment or the devil’s food. You decide.
  • Crispy onions – These are definitely the ones you get to put on salads or from salad bars in restaurants.

Apart from cooking the onions and frying the meat this is an assembly job and dead easy. Please give this Philly cheese stack recipe a go and let me know how you get on!

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philly cheese stack burger mcdonald's style

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 1 person

Ingredients

  • 200 g 15% beef mince
  • ¼ onion
  • 2 cheese slices
  • 1 tablespoon cheese sauce I use Hellman's
  • 2-3 pickle slices
  • 1 heaped teaspoon dried onions

Instructions

  • Season the mince with about ½ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Tumble and mix loosely (don't overwork this mix). Split the beef and form into two 100g balls and refrigerate for a few minutes while you prepare everything else.
  • Get a shallow pan over a medium-low heat. Peel and slice the onion into rings. Add a splash of oil and fry the onion gently for about 10 minutes until softened and starting to gently colour. You're just breaking the onion down a bit.
  • Wipe out your pan with kitchen roll and put the heat up to high. Take your meatballs and put them in the pan, pressing down hard with a flat tool like a fish slice to squidge them into patties just under a centimetre thick. Leave undisturbed to colour for 3-4 minutes. When browned flip to complete cooking for another minute or two. The patty should be thin enough it won't take much cooking by the time it's coloured.
  • While the meat cooks, split and toast your bun as desired. When everything is ready it's time to assemble. From the bottom up: bun, beef, cheese slice, beef, cheese slice, grilled onions, crispy onions, cheese sauce. Eat immediately.

Notes

This recipe is a great knock off of the McDonald's limited edition burger you can make at home. You can make the patties in advance and freeze.
Categories
food onion

onion loaf miller and carter style

Miller and Carter steakhouse are a chain of about 100 restaurants in the UK. They specialise in premium beef with the ‘steak experience’ being their main event. You get a steak cut such as rib eye or sirloin, your choice of sauce, lettuce wedge with dressing, fries and the onion loaf. I enjoy cooking and eating steak a lot but they aren’t the cheapest, so I like to recreate this meal, so here’s my take on the Miller and Carter onion loaf recipe. This copycat recipe will satisfy if you’re looking for that restaurant vibe.

The Miller and Carter steak experience, rib eye, fries, beef dripping sauce and onion loaf in the bottom right

Onion loaf? What like bread? No. Actually it’s much closer to an onion bhaji like you’d find at an Indian restaurant; chunks of onion in batter fried. Though a little less chilli than those recipes!

The onion loaf can serve as a great accompaniment to a steak. With a crispy and golden-brown exterior, and a sweet and savoury taste that can enhance the overall flavour.

Though it’s not just for steak – it would work really well on a roast dinner, perfect with a barbecue and dare I say it – would work really well with pie and mash with lashings of gravy.

My version!

So my recipe below isn’t very difficult but does require a little time to salt the onions. And it is best if you have a deep fat fryer, or are happy frying in a few centimetres of oil. If not you could make thin patties and fry both sides, or alternatively oven bake. You won’t get that same crunch but it will be healthier and less stressful to manage alongside the rest of dinner. However you do it it’s a tasty, savoury side dish perfect for any hearty meal.

I also made a beef dripping sauce just like Miller and Carter’s. And the bordelaise sauce.

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miller and carter onion loaf

A replica of the crispy onion side dish you can order at a steakhouse.
Course Side Dish
Keyword copycat recipe, fakeaway
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Salting time 30 minutes
Servings 2 loaves

Equipment

  • Deep fat fryer

Ingredients

  • 2 onions approx 350g once prepared
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons plain flour about 50g
  • milk just a splash, optional
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon ground white pepper

Instructions

  • Peel and halve the onions. Slice into thin half moons and place into a large bowl.
  • Sprinkle with salt and stir well to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes to soften.
  • After 30 minutes fill the onion bowl with cold water. Swish them around in the water, then drain them off and rinse in more cold water to get as much salt off as possible. Tip them onto a clean tea towel or several layers of paper towel. Squeeze and squish them dry.
  • Beat the egg and mix with the flour, pepper and paprika. If needed add tiny amounts of milk (like a teaspoon at a time) to make a batter thick like custard. Stir the dried onions in. You will not need to salt this batter, the salt soaking earlier will do your salting for you.
  • Take the onion batter and form into blocks approx 2cm deep. You can freeform this, or you can use a mini-loaf baking tray, lined with cling film. Cover and freeze for at least an hour but they can be frozen for months at this point. The freezing helps the onions bind together.
  • When ready to cook preheat your fryer to 160°C. Turn the loaves out of the cling film and fry. Cook for a few minutes until browned on the underside and once golden brown flip over to cook the other side. Drain on kitchen paper. Eat immediately, they go all flabby and greasy when cold.

Notes

These can be baked in a 200C oven for 20-30 minutes until golden brown if you don't want to deep fry. They won't be as crispy but they'll be oniony and tasty (would make a great side for a roast dinner with a dash of dried sage mixed in). Alternatively you can fill a deep pan with oil and fry that way, but please take care.
Categories
apples food onion pork

pork chops with apple and burnt onion

This pork chop dish only came about because I had too many apples knocking about. Could do a crumble… but apples go great with pork. If you don’t have any creme fraiche any dairy would do, or a bit of stock or even water would still be tasty. Go with what you’ve got.

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pork chops with apple and burnt onion

Course Main Dish
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 2 people
Author Gary @ BigSpud

Ingredients

  • 2 pork chops
  • 2 apples I used Pink Lady but whatever works for you
  • 3 baby onions or 1 normal onion
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1 heaped tablespoon creme fraiche

Instructions

  • Get a frying pan on a high heat. Don't add any oil. Meanwhile, peel and halve the onions (if using a large onion cut into 6-8 wedges). Peel and segment the apple, discarding the peel. Season the pork with salt, pepper and sage on both sides, and rub some olive oil into them.
  • When the pan is hot add the onions cut side down. Leave for around five minutes until a char develops, then add the pork and apples. Turn the heat down to medium. (If your chops have a decent layer of fat, using tongs hold them fat-side down in the pan until starting to colour, then lay them down.
  • Continue cooking for 5 - 10 minutes until cooked to your liking, turning a couple of times to colour both sides. Turn the apples and onions as you go too. When the pork's done, turn the heat down and add the creme fraiche. Add a splash of hot water to loosen the sauce down to a creamy consistency. Allow to bubble for a minute or two and season to taste. Serve with rice or mash.
Categories
onion steak

bone-in sirloin steak with red wine and onion sauce

If you love a good steak, Sainsbury’s have released a new steak that’ll scratch your itch.

Their new bone-in sirloin is a treat perfect for two people. It’s unusual for a supermarket to offer a bone-in steak but this is a welcome deviation from the norm. With the bone left in the joint you get more variation in cooking and generally the fun of gnawing on a bone after serving! Cooking with the bone lends greater meat flavours too.

Just fry briefly on each side, finish in the oven and carve thickly and you get a great date-night meal. It’s a tasty one for carnivores everywhere!

I served mine with green beans and chunky chips but I wanted to share a great sauce with you which is perfect with any red meat dish.

Sainsbury’s sent me a steak to try. It’s available in-store now for £15.

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bone-in sirloin steak with red wine and onion sauce

Course Main Dish
Cuisine English
Servings 2 people
Author Gary @ BigSpud

Ingredients

For the steak

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 bone-in sirloin steak about 800g
  • 1 sprig rosemary finely chopped

For the sauce

  • 1 onion peeled and sliced
  • glass red wine
  • 250 ml beef stock
  • 1 teaspoon cornflour
  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder

Instructions

  • Preheat a pan to very hot, and your oven to 180C. It's important both of these are fully warmed before starting.
  • Meanwhile, season the steak with salt, pepper and rosemary and rub the oil into it. Add to the pan and fry on both sides until browned. When browned add the onions to and pop in the oven. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes to get it medium rare. Ideally use a temperature probe and check for a temperature of 55 - 60C at the thickest part.
  • Once the steak is cooked, remove to a board to rest. Meanwhile put the tray on the hob over a medium heat and add the red wine, scraping with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Let it bubble until nearly gone and then add the stock. While the stock comes up to the boil stir the cornflour and mustard powder with a tiny bit of water to make a paste, then stir into the stock. Stir or whisk until thickened, checking for seasoning.
  • To finish, carve the steak thickly, sprinkle with sea salt and serve with the reduced sauce.
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