Herb butter:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) at room temperature
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salad garnish:
24 slices ripe red tomato
16 thin slices red onion
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Hamburgers:
6 pounds fresh chuck
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
16 1/2-inch-thick slices Italian country-style bread, toasted
1/2 cup olive oil
1. For the herb butter, place the butter, basil, thyme, parsley, salt and
pepper in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Place it on plastic wrap,
and loosely fold the wrap over. Roll it into a log and freeze.
2. For the salad, combine the tomatoes, onion, olive oil and lemon juice in
a nonreactive bowl.
3. For the hamburgers, remove the butter from the plastic wrap and cut into
8 cylinders. Divide the meat into 8 equal balls.
4. With each ball, make an indentation with your thumb, press a butter
cylinder in and close the meat over the butter. Shape each ball into a
1-inch-thick patty, and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.
5. Grill, broil or fry the patties in a preheated cast-iron skillet for 4
minutes per side over medium-low heat for medium rare.
6. Brush the toast with the olive oil and grill under a broiler until both
sides are golden. Center each hamburger on 2 slices of the toast, top with
the salad garnish and eat with a knife and fork.
YIELD 8 hamburgers