What I love about a 7 year old is that after you have been standing in front of the refrigerator for a good 10 minutes with the door open, waiting for somebody to pop out of there in an apron and a hair-do and say “Hi honey, I’m here to make dinner for you and your family”–you turn to your child and say, “We’re having burgers” and they say, “YES!”
Buy chuck–it’s juicier. I like to cook it on one of those iron pans with the grill creases. If you buy sirloin because it’s leaner, then add just a dribble of heavy cream, which will be nothing compared to the fat you’ve saved by changing cuts. Form the burgers without a lot of handling–it makes them tough–and salt on both sides with kosher salt (add pepper later.) Heat the pan up before the burgers go on and add a spill of olive oil so that you get a nice crust. I like to spoon a little butter over the burgers as they cook, but instead–and I’m talking teeny weeny here–you could just slap a teaspoon of frozen butter onto the top of each one, and it will melt into the meat all on it’s own. One burner over, get a pot of cold water ready with a good pinch of kosher salt and a splash of olive oil, and add cut up Yukon golds–if they’re new, no need to peel. Simmer gently until tender, then lift them out with a slotted spoon. Using the same water, add a head of chopped up broccoli. As soon as it is screaming green, get it out of there and pour out the water. Drain the broccoli really well-no fooling around. To the pan you just dumped the water from, add a tablespoon of butter (or so) a, spill of olive oil, a few sliced cloves of garlic, a sprig of fresh parsley, and your broccoli. Season with another pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. Out they come. Another bit of butter and olive oil into the same pan, and in go your potatoes. Bang them around in there and season with salt and pepper. (They are beautiful with fried fresh mint and a swizzle of fresh lemon juice if you want to go crazy, but I’m just trying to stay basic here.)
And that’s it. If you have it in you, you direct the others to scoop some ice cream.