Fried Onion and Bacon Burger with Smoked Cheddar and Scallion Cranberry Mustard

Pairs well with:

Zinfandel

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

Ingredients

Burgers

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (80/20)
1 ½ cups of fried onion rings (canned)
1 pound of Applewood smoked bacon, fried crispy and broken into pieces
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for brushing on the grill rack
6 thick slices of smoked cheddar cheese

Scallion Cranberry Mustard

1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/3 cup canned whole cranberry sauce

6 Kaiser rolls, sliced horizontally
¼ cup olive oil
2 cups fresh romaine lettuce, shredded
12 thin slices red onion

 

Instructions

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

To make the patties, combine the ground beef, fried onion rings, crumbled bacon pieces, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid overworking it and melting the fat, mix the ingredients well. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form the portions into patties to fit the bread rolls.

When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook turning once, 5 to7 minutes on each side or until desired doneness. One minute before removing the patties from the grill, top with smoked cheddar slices and let melt.

In a small bowl, whisk together the reserved chopped scallions, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and cranberry sauce until well-incorporated. Set aside.

Brush the cut sides of the Kaiser rolls with olive oil and place the cut sides down, on the grill to lightly toast for about thirty seconds.

To build the burgers, spread the Cranberry mustard mixture on the cut sides of each roll. Place the patties on the bottom half of each roll. Add a small pile of arugula and two thin red onion slices on top of each and then finish with top of bun.

Makes 6 burgers