The Perfect Cheeseburger

There are two secrets to a perfect hamburger: good, lean meat, and handling said meat as little as possible. My mother always combined dried oregano and Worcestershire sauce with the meat, and I think this adds a subtle and delicious flavor, but for the purist, just good ground meat will do fine. My friend Richard likes to lightly salt and pepper the patties before brushing them with a little olive oil and putting them on the grill. I usually forego those steps and just put the meat directly on the grill (or frying pan), myself. In any case, I believe that the perfect burger consists of the following:

1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
Tomato Relish
4 slices white cheddar cheese
Lettuce
Bread and Butter Pickles
4 soft, white hamburger buns

Kneading as little as possible, mix the oregano and Worcestershire sauce into the ground meat. Form into four patties, again handling as little as possible. Try to make the patties of uniform thickness all the way through, and the edges smooth for even cooking. Place on a hot grill or frying pan and cook until the edges have turned gray. Flip (Eric says: only flip meat once!) and cook a few minutes more, as desired. After flipping the patties, place one slice of cheese on top of each and let it melt. When the burgers are done, remove to a plate and quickly toast the buns, sliced side down, on the grill/ pan. Top each with a patty, relish, pickles, and lettuce. Devour!