For the past year, Food52.com readers have been voting in weekly showdowns of reader-submitted recipes on a given theme. The winning recipes of each week will end up in Food52's upcoming cookbook, along with bios of the people who submitted them (Food52 explains the process in simple detail here).
Food52 and its co-founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs have invited you, fun-loving HuffPost Food readers, to vote on the contest for week 5 (of the second year).
Week 5's showdown is for the best beef burgers.
Check the finalists out below, and vote for your favorite here.
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The New Englandah Burgah
Photo: Sarah Shatz
Amanda and Merrill's notes on "The New Englandah Burgah" on Food52.com:
We were intrigued not only by the name of this burger, but by the juxtaposition of savory and sweet. This could easily go too far, but Chef Jason manages to rein it in, inspiring harmony rather than a cacophony of flavors. The burger themselves have a faint sweetness from the maple syrup, and this is enhanced by the grilled apples; the salty crunch of the bacon and the tang of cheddar provide the perfect counterpoints. This is a burger that requires a ravenous appetite and begs to be eaten in generous mouthfuls, each including all of the different components. - A&M
View the "The New Englandah Burgah" recipe here.
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Patty Melt
Photo: Sarah Shatz
Amanda and Merrill's notes on "Patty Melt" on Food52.com:
This will take you back to the 1970s, and you'll want to stay there until you've enjoyed every last succulent bite of this patty melt. You season the grass-fed burger meat (that's cheese1227's 21st century move) with mustard and Worcestershire, slap and nudge it into a patty, and fry it up in a pan. Then you layer the burger on rye bread, toasted in a pan with butter and topped with Gruyere, and sauteed onion and mushrooms. Cheese1227 calls for optional mayonnaise. We opted to leave it out. Our only note is that you can cook the burger on a grill, if you prefer. Actually, no, we have a second note: put this on the weekend menu, right now. - A&M
View the "Patty Melt" recipe here.