Big Mac-Style Sloppy Joes

Everything that makes the famous burger taste like itself is in the sauce, the pickles and the shredded lettuce. The two patties and the middle bun are mostly architecture. So this skips the architecture and puts the flavor into a skillet.

The sauce needs a head start

Make the sauce before anything else. Straight out of the blender it tastes like mayo and ketchup. After half an hour in the fridge, the onion and relish settle in and it starts tasting like the thing you're after. It keeps about a week, so a double batch isn't a bad idea.

Tip

Blend it rather than whisking. The minced onion breaks down and the sauce goes smooth and pale orange, the way it should look.

Pickles in the meat, not just on top

Chopping the pickle chips and stirring them right into the filling is what makes this read as a burger instead of a regular sloppy joe. Every bite gets a little of that sour crunch.

The same sauce idea shows up on the bunless Flying Dutchman, which leans on thick grilled onion rounds instead of bread. And if you want the burger flavor with a lot more lettuce, the Cheeseburger Salad is a good place for any leftover sauce.

Heads up

Drain the pan if the meat throws off much fat before you add the sauce, or the filling turns greasy and thin.