A CUT ABOVE To get the right texture, after you chop the beef, run the knife through it a few more times to produce a slightly irregular dice.
Photo: CHELSIE CRAIG FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, FOOD STYLING BY PEARL JONES, PROP STYLING BY BETH PAKRADOONI
The Chef: Rebecca Wilcomb
Her Restaurant: Gianna in New Orleans
What She’s Known For: Cooking that honors Italian grandmothers, including her own, for whom the restaurant is named. Pristine ingredients, the best local produce and Gulf seafood.
CHEFS OFTEN INSPIRE other chefs to greatness. That’s the story behind Rebecca Wilcomb’s third Slow Food Fast recipe.
On a visit to New York City, Ms. Wilcomb had a delicious dish of chopped beef patties served with a green salad at Via Carota, the bustling West Village restaurant from chefs Rita Sodi and Jody Williams. Ms. Wilcomb was gobsmacked. “At first you see it and say, ‘It’s a hamburger.’ Then you dig in and say, ‘This is awesome.’ I was amazed at how perfect it was,” she recalled. “And they served it so simply: with a garlic clove and rosemary sprig. “
Back in New Orleans, Ms. Wilcomb started riffing. “I kept thinking about the flavors in beef tartare,” she said. So she mixed in some capers, mustard, shallots and garlic paste.
Hand-chopping the beef is critical to the texture. When you mix in the other ingredients, wield your wooden spoon like a weapon. “Beat the crap out of that beef,” said Ms. Wilcomb. “You’re looking for it to stick together a bit and for the edges to break down.”
Ms. Wilcomb sears the patty rare to medium-rare, hot and crusty on the exterior and tepid within, like the original, but even more like tartare at its center. And she serves it like the original, too: with a simple green salad. Some things are best left alone.
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Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pounds boneless beef sirloin, trimmed and hand-chopped into ¼-inch dice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic plus 4 whole cloves
- ¼ cup minced shallots
- 3 tablespoons capers, finely chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoon grapeseed oil or other neutral oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 sprigs rosemary
Directions
- Mound diced beef on a cutting board and run a chef’s knife through it several times to mince meat into finer, slightly irregular pieces.
- Place minced beef, Dijon, minced garlic, shallots and capers in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. With a wooden spoon, vigorously beat together beef and the seasonings until well incorporated meat begins to bind together, 3-5 minutes.
- Use your hands to form meat into 8-10 (1-inch-thick) patties. Chill in refrigerator to firm up, at least 10 minutes.
- Set a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add grapeseed oil. Once very hot, lay in 4 patties, making sure not to crowd pan. Sear patties on one side until richly golden brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip patties and sear reverse side, 1-2 minutes for medium-rare.
- Once both sides are seared, add butter, rosemary and whole garlic cloves. Baste patties with frothy butter until butter starts to brown, about 1-2 minutes. Repeat cooking and basting with remaining patties.
- Serve seared patties with a green salad and crusty bread.
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