Directions

• Divide beef into 4 equal parts. Form into patties that are about 3/4 of an inch thick, without overworking and smashing the ground beef too much. You will want it to maintain some of the texture of the grind.
• Season the exterior fairly generously with salt and pepper, the same way you would season a steak before pan frying. This helps create a nice brown crust on the outside of the burgers.
• Press a little dimple into the center of the patty, so they stay fairly flat when cooking and don’t dome up and shrink in size. 
• Preheat a large skillet (cast iron works best) to medium high heat. When skillet is hot, add about 1 tbsp avocado oil and two of the burgers. Cook for about 3 minutes, without moving them, on each side. Rotate the pan half way through each side to ensure they brown evenly. You may cook them a little more or a little less depending on exactly how thick your burgers are and how you like them cooked. 3 minutes on each side is for a burger that is about medium in temp. 
• If using cheese place sliced cheese on the burger after flipping to the second side to melt. (Or if you forget like I did, you can microwave a slice of cheese on your burger for about 20 seconds right before serving.)
• Move to a plate to rest for a minute or two before serving. 
• For assembly: On a plate start with a base of crunchy romaine, top with smashed avocado and then add your burger patty.
• Top with red onions, pickles (bonus points for fermented pickles!), fresh tomato slices, bacon, and if you’re really feeling fancy, a sunny side up egg.
• Sprinkle with a few sesame seeds to pull in the flavor of a seeded hamburger bun!
• Serve with a side of homemade avocado oil mayo, mustard, and ketchup if that’s your style. Dig in with a knife and fork, or you can also use a few more romaine leaves on top to sandwich this meaty goodness.