Five Guys burger and fries

I had the hankering for a Five Guys burger today. The restaurant was founded in Alexandria VA back in the late 80’s and I enjoyed my first one in the 2010’s in Merritt Island Florida. The last one I had was a few years ago in Dahlgren Virginia.

I didn’t want to drive to Dahlgren, and I certainly didn’t want to pay the $34 for two meals. I am the child of Depression-era parents.

So I spent the day researching how to replicate the burger AND the fries. This is what I do now. I love being retired.

So I picked up my ingredients at our Food Lion, and at dinnertime I dove in.

First I heated a pot of salted water and I added my think sliced potatoes. Big mistake. I should have just put them in water to remove the starch. But Food Lion only had two sad Russet potatoes, so there was no going back. I had a pot of mushy potatoes. I dried these off as best as I could. Then I sprinkled on my Kevin’s Creole Seasoning and added some avocado oil. About a tablespoon.

These went into the air-fryer for 10 minutes, rotated, and then 10 more minutes.

So one the fries started, I put 4 oz balls of Ground Chuck onto my pre-heated Blackstone Griddle (best birthday present I ever received) and pressed them down with some parchment paper and my press. These were seasoned with salt and pepper. On the side I added some thin sliced Vidalia onion and on the lowest heat side, I placed a sliced sesame seed bun, to toast it lightly.

After about 3 minutes the burgers were flipped. You’re looking for a crispy well-cooked burger.

Construction was simple. The bottom burger got mayo, mustard and ketchup. The top burger got mayo, mustard and Frank’s hot sauce.

The first burger went on the bottom bun, then two slices of Craft American Cheese, then the second burger. Normally this would be topped with lettuce and a tomato. I skipped this. I put on my grilled onions and 4 kosher pickle slices.

This was then wrapped in a piece of aluminum foil and allowed to sit for 2 minutes. This softens/steams the bun and melts the cheese. During this time I plated the fries.

Bottom line? The best burger I’ve ever cooked. And while the structure of the fries was ‘not great’ the flavor was spot-on.