Go Green! Sparty Burgers

Ingredients:

Go Green Olive Sauce:
1 ½ cups mayonnaise
Juice and Zest of one lemon
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
¾ cup chopped garlic-stuffed green olives

Patties:
8 ounces bacon
2 pounds ground chuck
¼ cup finely chopped fresh sage
1/3 cup grated sweet onion
3 large garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup beef broth, divided

Mushroom Saute:
2 tablespoons olive oil
24 ounces fresh button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
Reserved beef broth
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¾ teaspoon coarse ground pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

6 slices Swiss cheese
8 ounces baby spinach
6 Whole Wheat Kaiser rolls, split

Instructions:

To make the Go Green Olive Sauce: Combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice and zest, parsley, and olives. Cover and set aside in refrigerator until ready to use.

To make the patties: Heat a large, heavy nonstick fire-proof or cast iron skillet on the grill; cook the bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain and cool. Place the ground chuck, sage, onion, garlic, salt and only 2 tablespoons of the beef broth in a large bowl. Crumble the bacon and add to the ingredients in the bowl. Combine well, handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compressing the mixture. Form into 6 patties and refrigerate until ready to grill.

To make the Mushroom Saute: Drain any bacon grease from the skillet and wipe clean with paper towels. Return skillet to grill and add the olive oil. Add mushrooms and cook over medium high heat, until browned, about 4-5 minutes. (Do not stir mushrooms until after they start to brown, or they will produce too much water and steam.) Meanwhile, combine reserved beef broth with the balsamic vinegar, black pepper and red pepper flakes. When mushrooms are browned, carefully pour the broth mixture over the mushrooms to deglaze and stir until evaporated and syrupy, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside, and cover with foil to keep warm until needed.

When ready to cook, brush the grill rack with oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover and cook, turning once, until done to preference (5-7 minutes on each side for medium). During the last 3 minutes of grilling, mound equal portions of the mushroom sauté on top of each patty, and cover with a slice of Swiss cheese. Arrange the buns around the edge of the grill to toast lightly.

To Assemble: Spread the Go Green Olive Sauce over cut sides of the toasted buns, and place a mound of spinach leaves on the bottom bun. Place a patty on top of the spinach and cover with bun tops. Makes 6 burgers.