Episode: Together in the Minefield
Hamburger Steak with a Fried Egg

Are you aspiring to break into showbiz to get revenge on the man who wronged you? Are you missing the most important human emotion? Is your name Kyoko Mogami? Then do we have an opportunity for you! Here at LME’s Love Me section (Yes, that’s “Love Me” as in “Please love me!”) you’ll perform a variety of tasks as you work to get others to love you while developing your own ability to respect and think of others. There will even be opportunities to appear on TV! And this journey is based on a points system, so if you put your heart into it and your performance is excellent, a full debut backed by our very own agency is in your future! How can this get any better? A lovely uniform! It’s got the Love Me logo printed on the front left side and back making it both stylish and gorgeous. And don’t worry. This may be a new section, but you won’t be alone for long. There are other love-lacking talents who will be joining you in the future. What do you say?

Sounds pretty crazy right? But that’s Lory Takarada for you. He’s just about as eccentric as they come. No he never presented the Love Me Section to Kyoko as horribly as I just did, but he put a lot of effort into this section and came up with everything from the name to the shocking, pink eyesore of a uniform. Nothing is ever easy when it comes to showbiz, so making it into LME is just the beginning of Kyoko’s quest to defeat/kill Sho Fuwa. Yeah, revenge is an unusual motive to get into the entertainment industry and she does get in trouble for it. Ren Tsuruga quickly becomes her enemy because he holds acting to a high, practically sacred standard and finds her reason for studying acting disgusting. But things change as Kyoko gains more experience and finds that she really loves acting and wants to use it to realize her true self. One of her most memorable Love Me duties is when she takes on the role of Ren’s manager. When Yashiro gets sick, Kyoko is called on to substitute. Basically to make sure Ren eats properly. Ren never makes a big deal about food and thinks that quick snacks from convenience stores are good enough. (“I had some nourishing rice.”) Supervisor Matsushima figured Ren would never let a girl eat by herself, so he’d be forced to eat something real. During their busy day (It’s actually after 7pm and they’re still running.) Kyoko’s stomach starts growling and Ren asks her what she wants to eat. Kyoko says whatever Ren likes is fine, so of course, Ren suggests boiled frogs, forcing her to say what she really wants. (I’ve been in that situation tons of times.) So Kyoko immediately shouts that she wants a hamburger steak with a fried egg it. Not long afterwards, they find themselves at a family restaurant with a hamburger steak in front of each of them. And I find myself running to the kitchen to try and make one.

Recipe makes 3 hamburger steaks.

Ingredients

Hamburger Steaks:

1 pound ground beef and pork (I like using a ½ pound of each.)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 large egg

1/3 cup panko

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup red wine

½ cup ketchup

½ cup beef broth

½ cup Worcestershire sauce

Fried Eggs:

2 tablespoons butter

3 large eggs

Salt

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.

In a large bowl, combine the egg, panko, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the onion and garlic and meat and mix until combined.

Divide the meat into 3 equal portions. Toss each portion from one hand to the other about 10 times. This will help prevent the steaks from breaking while cooking. Shape the portions into large, flat ovals about the size of your hand. Make the centers a little thinner or indent them with your fingers since the centers tend to swell while cooking. Refrigerate the hamburger steaks for at least 30 minutes. Allow them to come to room temperature before cooking.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Place a hamburger steak in the pan and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes. Flip the hamburger steak and cook another 4-5 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 155-160 degrees. Remove the hamburger steak and repeat with the others.

Make the sauce by combining red wine, ketchup, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl. Melt butter in the same pan used to cook the hamburger steaks. Add the red wine mixture and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken. Skim off the fat. Add the hamburger steaks to the sauce and cook for about two minutes. Remove the hamburger steaks and skim off any leftover fat or chunks from the sauce. Pour into cups for dipping.

Fried Eggs:

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Once the butter starts bubbling, crack the eggs and add them to the pan, one at a time. Immediately reduce the heat to low and cook until the whites are completely set but the yolk is still soft, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and season.

Putting It All Together:

Plate your hamburger steaks and cover with fried eggs. Serve with vegetables of your choice and dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Variations:
There are many names for a Japanese hamburger steak and even more ways to make them. Whether it’s called a hamburger, hamburger steak, or hambāgu, it’s delicious. This is my take on a basic one, but you can always use a different meat mixture, shape them differently, or use a Teriyaki or other sauce.

I can understand Kyoko’s obsession with hamburgers. You won’t find me picking up rocks that look like hamburgers or speaking to His Majesty, King Hamburger, (Okay, maybe you will.) but for sure you’ll find me requesting hamburger steaks whenever I get the chance. And even though being Ren’s manager doesn’t go the smoothest, at least Kyoko gets to have a yummy hamburger after many months without one. The girl needs it considering her role as manager just gets tougher as she deals with studying for her high school entrance exam and taking care of Ren when he catches a cold. But she makes it through and almost gets herself 100 points. (Ren’s 10 point deduction is too cruel.) You know what else is cruel? Skip Beat! is only 25 episodes long! There are new roles and new faces that just have to be animated. Not to mention food. (Maui Omurice, Okonomiyaki Anpan, Anything Kyoko/Kuon makes for Kuu.) Well, I’ll just keep sitting here hoping and praying for more episodes, but at least I’ve got a hamburger steak with a fried egg on it to keep me company.

Tune in next week for more Cartoon Cravings!