One-Pan Cheeseburger Skillet with Potatoes

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 40 mins

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 4 Servings

Whether it’s a fried onion-filled Oklahoma onion burger, gooey pull-apart cheeseburger sliders, or even a cheeseburger salad bowl, you can’t go wrong with a burger in any form. So I thought it might be worth throwing all those flavors into a skillet with a pound of ground beef and some little potatoes to see if an easy weeknight dinner was possible. This cheeseburger skillet also has mustard, ketchup, and pickles to add a surprising amount of depth and layered flavor to the sauce, while Worcestershire adds just enough umami flavor to make you forget you didn’t actually use the grill. Then, you just have to stir in some cheese — cheddar for flavor and American to make a creamy, gooey sauce — and every bite is bursting with burger perfection, sans bun.

Ingredients

1 large red or yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable
1 pound lean ground beef
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 1/2 pounds baby gold potatoes (1 to 1 1/2-inches wide), peeled if desired and halved
1/3 cup finely diced dill pickles (9 to 12 pickle chips or 1 whole pickle)
2 cups low-sodium beef broth, divided
4 ounces sharp or medium cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup), divided
3 slices American cheese, roughly torn
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Toasted white sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Finely chop some of 1 halved and sliced large red onion until you have 2 tablespoons and reserve for garnish. Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the remaining sliced red onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deeply browned in spots, about 5 minutes (it’s OK if they aren’t fully tender).
Add 1 pound lean ground beef, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, breaking up the meat into medium pieces, until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
Stir in 1 1/2 pounds halved baby gold potatoes and 1/3 cup finely diced dill pickles, and spread into an even layer. Pour in 1 3/4 cups of the low-sodium beef broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Uncover and stir. Continue to cook uncovered until the potatoes are tender, 7 to 12 minutes more.
Stir in 2 ounces of the shredded cheddar cheese, 3 slices roughly torn American cheese, the remaining 1/4 cup low-sodium beef broth, 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon ketchup, and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce until the cheese is melted. Taste and season with more kosher salt as needed.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese. Cover and let sit until the cheese is melted, 1 to 3 minutes. Garnish with the finely chopped red onion and toasted white sesame seeds if using.