Cookbook Review: Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries & Shakes

This month's issue of Food Network Magazine had in it a very mouthwatering article about Bobby Flay's new book. In fact, I made the avacado relish recipe from it and was very impressed. Luckily, I was able to score a review copy and it arrived last week. Over the past couple of days, I've made a few more things from the cookbook that have converted me over to Bobby Flay fandom.

The flap reads: "After a long day spent in one of his restaurants or taping a television show, what Bobby Flay craves more than anything else is … a crusty-on-the-outside, juicy-on-the-inside burger; a fistful of golden, crisp, salty fries; and a thick, icy milkshake. Given the grilling guru’s affinity for bold flavors and signature twists on American favorites, it’s no surprise that he has crafted the tastiest recipes ever for this ultimate food trio."

Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries & Shakes is a really fun book to have around. I totally enjoyed the photos and the write-ups, and the recipes were simple enough on their own, but what I particularly liked was that it inspired me in so many ways. I've had a lot of burgers in my life, and some of them have been pretty great. But this book really opened my eyes about all the different things one can do with a burger.

I made three recipes - two burgers and the Buttermilk Onion Rings on page 101. Bobby doesn't believe in adding fillers to burger meat, like eggs and breadcrumbs, because then you're essentially making meat loaf. I grew up on burgers made this way, as my mom was always trying to stretch the meat more to feed the family. What Bobby instructs is to just make a patty and season it with salt & pepper on both sides. Ah, the freedom! Simple is best, truly! I used lean ground beef that was locally procured, and it was tasty enough on its own.

The first burger I made was the Greek Burger on page 46. Yes, I cheated and bought tzatziki from the local overpriced grocery store. I skipped the olives. I don't like tomatoes. But the feta and tzatziki was enough on its own to create a wonderful burger. I had intended to make the onion rings to go with it, but I found that all my onions had gone rotten! I was ticked! So I served this burger with fingerling fries.

The second burger I made was the Miami Burger on page 51. I even splurged on Swiss Cheese, which is ludicrously expensive here and not something I buy very often. This was the best burger ever! I mean, anything with ham & swiss on it is going to be amazing, but I really loved this burger. In fact, I'm going to have it for dinner again tonight since I have one patty left over.

Yesterday, I got some not rotten sweet onions and made the Buttermilk Onion rings to go with the Miami Burger. The instructions say to remove the papery membrane between the layers of onion, but that got really annoying really fast and I was overcome with onion-induced tears very quickly after beginning. So, I gave that up soon enough and I found that the onion rings didn't suffer for that at all. These were awesome! They were easy to make and very, very tasty. I use my wok to deep fry and it works well, though I had to fry in several batches. It didn't matter. The onion rings were fab, and I'll definitely be making them again.

Here is the final result:So, this was last night's meal:

I didn't get around to making any milkshakes, but that's definitely on my to-do list, since some of his shakes are just too decadent NOT to make!

All in all, a great little book! Definitely a keeper and a recommend!