Bounty Burger with Peppered Brie and Grilled Romaine Salad

Pairs well with:

Zinfandel

Bright and full-bodied, this Zinfandel wine is a curious contradiction in tastes.

Ingredients

Grilled Romaine Salad:
6 slices bacon
3 small heads romaine lettuce
8 tbs. extra- virgin olive oil
4 tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 tbs. bacon dripping
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Peppered Brie Cheese:
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup soft brie, rind removed
Patties: 1/2 cup walnuts
2 lbs. ground chuck
2 tbs. fresh tarragon, finely chopped
2 tbs. Sutter Home Zinfandel
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tbs. bacon drippings
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp. minced garlic
Vegetable oil for brushing on the grill rack
3 tbs. butter, melted
6 onion rolls

 

Instructions

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover or preheat a gas grill to medium high. Prepare the grilled romaine salad: Cook bacon slices in a 12" fireproof skillet on grill until crisp. Transfer bacon onto paper towels and set aside reserving bacon drippings for later use. Rinse romaine heads with cold water, gently shake out excess water and pat heads dry with paper towels. Cut each romaine head in half lengthwise and brush with them with 4 tbs. of extra-virgin olive oil. Place romaine heads on grill, cut side down. Cook until grill marks appear and leaves are slightly singed about 30 to 45 seconds. Do not grill outer part of romaine. Transfer onto large plate and set aside. In a small bowl, crumble cooked bacon slices and add 4 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, bacon drippings, salt and pepper. Mix until well blended and set aside. Prepare peppered brie: In a small bowl, mix freshly ground pepper to brie, cover with foil and set aside. Prepare patties: Toast walnuts in a 12" fireproof skillet on grill until lightly browned. Coarse chop walnuts to pea-sized pieces and transfer to large mixing bowl. To the nuts, add ground chuck, tarragon, Zinfandel, salt, pepper, bacon drippings, sour cream and minced garlic. Handling the mixture as little as possible to avoid compressing it, mix well. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form the portions into patties to fit the onion rolls. Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover and grill until browned on the bottoms, 6-7 minutes. Turn the patties over and continue grilling until done to preference, about 5-7 minutes for well done. During the last few minutes of cooking, lightly butter the cut sides of the onion rolls and placing the cut sides on the outer edges of the grill to toast lightly. Top each patty with approximately 2 tbs. of the peppered brie and cover grill until cheese melts about 1 – 1 1/2 minutes. Drizzle salad dressing over romaine heads tossing lightly to evenly distribute dressing. Assemble burgers: On each bottom of onion roll, place a patty and one romaine portion. Add the roll tops and serve.