From Fast Food Fix

The Big Mac Remake aka “Little Dev”

The recipe that started it all, and the one that taught Devin how to rebuild any dish without giving anything up.

Devin Alexander's Big Mac Remake ← Back to All Books

At fifteen, Devin quit fast food cold turkey. Not because she stopped loving it: because she wanted to prove she didn’t have to give it up to feel good in her own skin. So she went home and got to work rebuilding her favorites from scratch, starting with the one she loved most.

The Big Mac took years to get right. Not a weekend project: years, testing and re-testing a version that hit every note of the original without the drive-thru trip. That obsessive, patient process of taking a dish apart and putting it back together, better, became what Devin would later call her Recipe Revisionist approach: the art of transforming any dish into one that’s crave-worthy and even more satisfying, with no sense of deprivation.

It became such a fixture in her own kitchen that it earned a nickname: “Little Dev.” It's the first recipe in Fast Food Fix, and the one that started everything after it. McDonald’s own Director of Culinary Innovation called the remake flattering.

Big Mac Remake, aka “Little Dev”
Serves 4 · Prep 20 min · Cook 10 min
Ingredients
  • 1 lb 93% lean ground beef (or ground turkey breast)
  • 4 reduced-calorie sesame hamburger buns
  • 4 slices fat-free American cheese
  • 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
  • 2 tbsp finely diced white onion
  • 8 dill pickle chips
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste
  • Special Sauce:
  • 3 tbsp light mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp fat-free Thousand Island dressing
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard
  • 1 tsp white vinegar
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • Pinch of sweet paprika
Instructions
  1. Whisk together all Special Sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate while you prep the burgers, at least 15 minutes.
  2. Divide the beef into 8 thin, even patties. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
  3. Heat a nonstick skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook the patties 2–3 minutes per side, until well browned and cooked through.
  4. Split and lightly toast the buns.
  5. Build each burger “big mac style”: bottom bun, a spoonful of sauce, lettuce, pickles, and onion, then a patty. Add the middle bun layer if using a triple-decker build, then the second patty and cheese, another spoonful of sauce, and the top bun.
  6. Serve immediately, while the cheese is still melting.
Devin’s tip: the sauce is what sells it. Make a double batch. You’ll want it on everything.
Fast Food Fix by Devin Alexander
The Original · 75+ Recipes
Fast Food Fix

The Big Mac Remake, the Cinnabon roll, the Pizza Hut pan pizza: every drive-thru favorite, rebuilt at home. Get the full recipe and 74 more.

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