I know that technically it’s summer and I should be posting lighter and much-easier-to-make recipes—that get us in and out of the kitchen as quick as possible—but with how things are right now, I am still very much craving good ol’ hearty comfort food for some reason. To me, nothing screams comfort quite like a burger and fries does. So I’ve teamed up with my friends over at GO BOLD WITH BUTTER to bring you a burger with fries in it. That has to be the ultimate move when it comes to making comfort food at home, right? These Poutine Butter Burgers aren’t for the faint of heart, but if you’re like me and are looking for a substantial heartwarming meal, then look no further because this is it. It’s the perfect recipe to try this weekend!
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray. Spread out the frozen fries in a single layer and bake them according to the package directions until golden brown and crispy.
**Note: You can of course, make the fries from scratch, if you’re not into frozen fries, but that’s just a lot of work for one small component of this dish. Or you can make homemade oven fries too!**
To make the gravy, set a medium saucepan over moderate heat with the butter. Once melted, add in the shallot and garlic and cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds, just enough to cook off that raw flour taste. When you cook the flour like this, it’ll develop a slight nutty flavor that is great for the gravy.
Whisk in the beef stock and bring up to a simmer. Cook until just beginning to thicken and then stir in the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt and pepper. Reduce flame to low and cook until reduced slightly and thick, about 20 minutes.
** Tip: This is a great gravy recipe that you can use for all sorts of different recipes. It would be great with steak and ladled on top of mashed potatoes!**
To make the burgers, place the ground beef in a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Using a box grater, grate the very cold stick of butter into the bowl with the beef.
**Tip: To make it a lot easier to grate the butter, I like to pop it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. It’ll be firm enough to grate without getting too warm.**
Use your hands to gently mix it all together. Then divide the mixture into four equal parts and shape each into a thick burger patty. Chill for about 15 minutes.
**Note: It’s crucial to chill them so that the butter firms up again. Your hands will warm it up too much when you shape them.**
Set a large skillet over medium high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Once melted, add in two burger patties (depending on the size of your pan) and cook until golden brown on the first side, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip over and then using a spoon, baste the patties with the butter from the pan. Continue cooking and basting for another 3 to 4 minutes.
**Tip: Transfer to a platter and cover loosely with a piece of foil to keep them warm while you cook the remaining two patties.**
To assemble, place a burger on top of each bottom bun that has been toasted. Pile a handful of fries on top of each burger and top with cheese curds.
**Note: And this is a VERY important note, I couldn’t find any cheese curds at my grocery store and I was too lazy to go to another store, so I just used mini mozzarella balls (which you can too if you’re having a hard time finding curds as well), but if you can get ahold of cheese curds PLEASE use that instead!!**
Then you’ll want to generously spoon the warm gravy over the fries and garnish with some fresh thyme leaves right at the end. Place the top buns on each and serve immediately!
Because the fries are in the burger, you really don’t need a side since they’re hearty on their own, but if you’d like a simple green salad would be delicious too. I always feel better about indulging if and when I have something healthy on the side of it. That’s me trying to trick my brain.
If you’re not a fan of beef or you don’t eat as much red meat, you could easily do this with ground chicken, turkey or even pork as well. Some of my favorite burgers are actually a mixture of beef and pork! That would be delicious in this recipe!
If at the end of the day, you don’t even want poutine burgers, but actually just want a really good poutine recipe, this one here is a two for one. You could either make burgers, or just skip them and make classic poutine all on it’s own. It’s just as delicious either way!
I hope you’ll give this recipe a try the next time you’re craving some hearty comfort food. This is capital C comfort. I think it’s well worth the extra steps of making the gravy, and cooking the fries, and basting the burgers. That butter basting is what really makes these butter burgers so juicy. Have a great weekend, friends. Stay safe!
**Thank you for your continued support of the occasional sponsored post on this site. They help keep the blog going, allowing me to continue to share my recipes with you on a weekly basis. I never want my sponsorships to feel forced, which is why I only partner with companies I feel very passionate about and actually use on a regular basis.**
- 1 (26-ounce) bag frozen French fries
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef stock
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon ketchup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 pounds ground beef (80/20)
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) very cold unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 brioche buns, toasted
- 1 cup cheddar cheese curds
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray. Spread out the frozen fries in a single layer and bake them according to the package directions until golden brown and crispy.
- To make the gravy, set a medium saucepan over moderate heat with the butter. Once melted, add in the shallot and garlic and cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds. Whisk in the beef stock and bring up to a simmer. Cook until just beginning to thicken and then stir in the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt and pepper. Reduce flame to low and cook until reduced slightly and thick, about 20 minutes.
- To make the burgers, place the ground beef in a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Using a box grater, grate the very cold stick of butter into the bowl with the beef. Use your hands to gently mix it all together. Then divide the mixture into four equal parts and shape each into a thick burger patty. Chill for about 15 minutes.
- Set a large skillet over medium high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Once melted, add in two burger patties and cook until golden brown on the first side, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip over and then using a spoon, baste the patties with the butter from the pan. Continue cooking and basting for another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a platter and cover loosely with a piece of foil to keep them warm. Repeat with the remaining two patties.
- To assemble, place a burger on top of each bottom bun. Pile a handful of fries on top of each burger and top with cheese curds. Spoon the gravy over the fries and garnish with fresh thyme. Place the top buns on each and serve immediately.
The list of ingredients in the gravy are enough for me, can’t go wrong w/butter/garlic and shallots