Portobello Buffalo Burgers with Celery Apple Slaw

Buffalo/Bison is a tasty alternative to ground beef, it's a leaner choice of meet.  I had my first buffalo burger when I was in Catalina Island, CA where buffalo is popular choice.

Ingredients

For burgers:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 10 ounces portobello mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound ground buffalo

For slaw:

• 2 celery ribs
• 1/2 Granny Smith apple, cored (left unpeeled)
• 1 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
• Rounded 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• Equipment: an adjustable-blade slicer fitted with 1/8-inch julienne blade
• Accompaniment: 4 hamburger buns or kaiser rolls, split and toasted

Directions

Cook vegetables for burgers:
 

Pulse onion and mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped. 

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. 

Add mushroom mixture, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and rounded 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to brown and liquid has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. 

Transfer to a bowl and cool to warm, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, make slaw:
 

Cut celery and apple into 2-inch-long thin julienne with slicer. 

Whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, oil, mustard, sugar, rounded 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. 

Add celery and apple, tossing to coat. 

Let stand 15 minutes to develop flavors. 

Finish and cook burgers:
 

Mix buffalo into cooled mushroom mixture with your hands until well combined. Form into 4 (4-inch) patties. 

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook burgers, turning once, about 8 minutes total for medium-rare. 

Serve burgers, topped with slaw, on buns.

courtesy of epicurious.com

Bison Burger with Garlic Mayo and Caramelized Onions

Ingredients

Burgers:

• 1 pound ground bison
• 1 pound ground beef sirloin
• 1 yellow onion, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• Kosher salt, optional
• Olive oil, for cooking

Onions:

• 2 tablespoons bacon fat or olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, sliced thin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Garlic mayonnaise:

• 1/2 cup prepared mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 4 cloves raw garlic, chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To serve:

• 4 slices Wisconsin Cheddar cheese
• 4 burger buns
• 1 cup fresh arugula greens
• 4 cornichon pickles
• 4 toothpicks

Directions

To make the burgers:
In a large bowl mix the bison, beef sirloin, onions, garlic, and parsley until just combined. Add in the onion powder, garlic powder, seasoning salt, ketchup, Worcestershire, and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper. Add it all to the meat mixture and mix well to combine. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and cook a small portion of the meat. Taste the cooked beef to see if you need to add salt. Add salt to the meat mixture to taste. Divide the meat into 4 evenly portioned round patties and set aside.

To make the onions:
Heat the bacon fat over medium-high heat in a large saute pan and add the onions. Cook for 1 minute, then season with salt. Cook's Note: You may need less salt if you're using bacon fat as bacon tends to be salty. Cook the onions, stirring a lot, until they start to turn brown. If the onions start sticking to the pan and turning too dark, pour in a spoonful of water and scrape with a wooden spoon to pull them off the pan. Continue to cook and stir the onions until they're dark brown and caramelized, about 8 to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.

To make the mayonnaise:
In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper, to taste and mix well.

To serve:
Reheat the large skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle in some olive oil. Heat the olive oil then place the burger patties in the pan. Cook for 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Top the burgers with a slice of cheese. To assemble, spread some garlic mayo on the bottom of the toasted bun. Put the burger on the mayo, top with caramelized onions, and then arugula. Cover with a bun top. Stick a toothpick into a cornichon and then stick into the top of the burger and serve.