Stovetop Double-Stack Cheeseburgers

Ingredients

For the easy burger sauce:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon pickle relish

For the burgers:

• 20 to 24 ounces ground beef (90/10)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, optional
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 to 8 slices American cheese
• 4 hamburger buns
• Fresh lettuce
• Slices tomato
• Red onion

Instructions

1. Make the burger sauce:Stir together the burger sauce ingredients, and adjust the flavors to your liking. Some people like more ketchup or more relish.
2. Make the burger patties:Measure out ground beef into eight 3-ounce patties (for double cheeseburgers) or four 5- to 6-ounce patties (for single burgers). Some people even prefer a single, thin 4-ounce patty.Be gentle with the ground beef. Keep it in loose balls for now. Season the outside of the balls with salt and pepper.
3. Add the patties to the pan and press:Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the beef balls one at a time, pressing each one by covering it with foil and pressing down to flatten with a second small pan or skillet. Try to get the patty as even as possible. For double burgers, you are looking for a very thin patty. For single burgers, shoot for about 1/3-inch thick patty.Repeat with pressing each of the patties in the pan, reusing the same piece of foil.
4. Cook the patties:Cook patties for 2 minutes for the thinner double patties, or 3 to 4 minutes for the thicker single patties. Flip, top with cheese, and cook until the cheese is melted, another 2 to 3 minutes.The patties will shrink a bit as they cook. It’s okay to press on them a bit with your spatula to reshape them slightly, but try to keep a light touch, or you will push out all the juices.
5. Assemble the burgers:When your burger patties are cooked through and the cheese is very melted, smear the bottom bun with 1 to 2 tablespoons of burger sauce and top with lettuce. Add your burger patty (or patties) and top with sliced tomato and red onion.Serve immediately!