Last week, Chef Tony Ballester of
Morton's The Steakhouse in Buckhead demonstrated how to make the restaurant's "Million Dollar Burger" on the set of
WAGA-TV's "Good Day Atlanta." This is the hamburger that Klaus Fritsch made for Arnie Morton when they both worked for the Playboy Clubs in the early 1970s. From that day, they started the business partnership that has become Morton's The Steakhouse. Pictured above is Chef Tony teaching tricks of the trade to Good Day Atlanta Co-host Mark Hayes. The "Million Dollar Burger," which only costs $19.78 - the year that Morton's was founded, is available at both Atlanta locations of Morton's (
Buckhead and
Downtown) every Sunday in July, August and September. And the best part - $5 of each burger sold will be donated to the
Make-A-Wish Foundation as part of Morton's 30th Anniversary partnership with the Foundation. For those of you brave enough to try and replicate the burger for yourself, here's the recipe:
Morton’s “Million Dollar” HamburgerIngredients (serves six):
4 pounds coarse-grind ground sirloin
4 large eggs
3/4 cup tomato juice
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 large hamburger buns
3 tablespoons clarified butter
Six 1/2-inch-thick slices tomato
Six 1/4-inch-thick slices Spanish onion
6 large leaves iceberg lettuce
Ketchup or another topping, for serving
Directions:
1. Preheat the broiler. Lightly oil and position the rack as close to the heat source as possible.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the sirloin, eggs, tomato juice, salt, and pepper. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix thoroughly. Divide the meat into six equal portions and gently form them into patties. Transfer to the broiler pan, and using a small sharp knife, make a crosshatch mark on the top of each burger about 1/8 inch deep. (This lets the juices percolate through the burger, and we also like the way it looks.)
3. Brush the inside of each bun with butter. Toast the buns in the broiler for about 30 seconds on each side, or until lightly browned; be careful that the buns don’t get too browned. Remove the buns and cover to keep warm. Reposition the broiler tray so that it is about 6 inches from the heat.
4. Broil the burgers for 3 to 3 1/2 minutes on each side for rare, 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare, and 4 1/2 to 5 minutes on each side for medium.
5.To serve, put the bottom half of each bun on a plate. Top with a burger and then a tomato slice, onion slice, and lettuce leaf. Add the top of the bun. Repeat to make five more burgers. Serve with ketchup, if desired.
