Recipe: Sheet Pan Burgers and Fries
People wax nostalgic about White Castle sliders, with their little square patties of ground beef steamed directly on piles of white onions. All served up in a soft bun next to a stack of crinkle-cut french fries, it’s a meal to really get excited about. They are the inspiration behind what is now one of our favorite ways to make burgers and fries for dinner. We’re packing big onion flavor into these beefy burgers, and doing it all on a sheet pan.
Sheet Pans to the Rescue
The oven can do all the hard work for this meal as long as you have two baking sheets. Fill one baking sheet with frozen crinkle-cut french fries, and get them cooking while you make the burger patties. Yes, the fries aren’t homemade, but frozen is easy and convenient.
Make Your Own Frozen Fries (You Know, for Next Time)
If you’re one of those DIY types, you can even use those frozen fries you made yourself. Okay, so maybe you didn’t make frozen fries ahead of time in order to make this dinner, but think of your future self and make them for next time.
The recipe: How To Freeze Your Own French Fries
To get all that onion flavor into the burgers without making them soggy, wrap the diced onions in paper towels and squeeze out the excess onion juice before pressing them into the beef patties. You’ll get that big onion flavor without weeping onion juice all over the baking sheet. Pop the burgers onto a second baking sheet and cook them alongside the fries.
When the burgers are done and the fries are crisp, add a slice of your favorite cheese and a few pickles before you dive in. Even if White Castle skips the tomato, serve these beauties any way you like — including with ketchup!
Sheet Pan Burgers and Fries
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1 pound
frozen crinkle-cut french fries
- 1 pound
ground beef
Kosher salt
Freshly black pepper
- 1/2
medium white onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater (about 1/3 cup)
- 4 slices
American or cheddar cheese
- 4
hamburger buns, split
Sliced pickles, for serving
Instructions
Arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat to 425°F.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place on the upper rack. Place the french fries in an even layer on a second unlined baking sheet, then place on the lower rack. Bake for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, prep the burger patties.
Divide the beef into 4 equal portions. Working quickly and being careful not to overwork the meat, gently form each portion into a 1/2-inch-thick patty about 4 inches wide (or slightly wider than the diameter of your hamburger buns). Season generously on both sides with salt and pepper; set aside.
Place the onions on a triple layer of paper towels, roll the the onions up in the towels, and squeeze the excess onion liquid out. Sprinkle the onions over the patties and use your hands to press them gently in.
Carefully remove the empty, foil-lined baking sheet from the oven. Place the patties onion-side down on it. Return it to the upper rack and bake until the patties are at the desired doneness and the fries are crisp, 10 minutes for medium-rare burgers, 12 minutes for medium.
Remove both trays from the oven. Top each patty with a slice of cheese and place on the lower rack. Place the hamburger buns on the upper rack. Bake until the cheese is melted and the buns are warm, about 1 minute. Place the burger patties on the bottom buns and top with pickles. Season the fries with salt and serve with the burgers.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftover burger patties can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.