Instructions: Divide sirloin into four equal portions, and form patties, each about 1 inch thick and 4 inches in diameter. Be careful not to overhandle the meat, which compresses and toughens it. Place a small amount of blue cheese in the center of each patty, if desired. Rub patties lightly with a very small amount of olive oil.

Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Place patties in skillet, and cook for 4 minutes. Turn, and season with salt and pepper. Top with cheese, if desired, cover, and cook 3 minutes more for medium-rare.

Note: The leaner the meat, the more important it is to serve the burger rare; the fat is what makes it juicy, so when a lean burger is cooked too long, it dries out.

Meanwhile, slice open buns, and toast them; spread with butter, if desired. When burgers are done, serve on toasted buns with any combination of the following: onions, bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and relish.

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Comments: The word "hamburger" comes from the seaport town of Hamburg, Germany, where nineteenth-century sailors returned from their travels telling of the shredded meat they ate in Russia; soon after, a German chef mastered the technique, and the dish became a staple there. The popularity of hamburgers as we know them in the United States is said to have started at the St. Louis Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904, when a young grill chef sold them at a small concession stand.

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