Breakfast-for-dinner polls like a guilty secret but cooks like a strategy: every component is fast, cheap, and beloved. The poached egg is the only technique here – give it a calm simmer and three honest minutes, and it sauces the whole burger when the yolk breaks.

Ingredients

  • 300 g ground beef (20% fat), in 2 loose balls
  • 4 slices of ham
  • 2 slices of cheese (Swiss or white cheddar)
  • 2 eggs, the freshest you have
  • 2 brioche buns, butter for toasting
  • 4 tbsp hollandaise (jarred is allowed on a weeknight)
  • 1 tsp white vinegar (for poaching)
  • Salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Bring a small pot of water with the vinegar to a bare simmer for the eggs. Toast the buns in butter; set aside.
  2. Crisp the ham in a dry hot pan, 1 minute per side. Keep warm.
  3. Smash the beef balls flat in the same pan, salt hard, and sear 2 minutes untouched. Flip, add cheese, 1 more minute.
  4. Poach the eggs: swirl the water, slide each egg in, and give it 3 minutes for a set white and a liquid yolk.
  5. Warm the hollandaise gently – it splits if rushed.
  6. Stack: bun, patty with cheese, ham, poached egg, hollandaise, lid. Serve with a knife through the middle and napkins everywhere.