‘Meal in a Bite’ Breakfast Burgers

Pairs well with:

Zinfandel

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

Breakfast is my favorite meal, second to a hearty burger on the grill. My grandma used to make Eggs Benedict with sausage patties and I loved the combination of the flavors. So, I turned it into a complete breakfast meal-in burger form-with every flavorful component of breakfast in each bite. Not to mention, as a child (even now) I always put french fries on my cheeseburgers, so why not a potato pancake?

Ingredients:

1 Cup Greek Yogurt
1 1/2 Tablespoons Tobasco
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup chopped Chives
3/4 Pound Lean Ground Beef
3/4 Ground Breakfast Sausage (in the tube, such as JimmyDean)
1 1/2 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
3 Large Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 Teaspoons Sea Salt
2 Teaspoons fresh cracked Black Pepper
2 Medium sized Baking Potatoes (cleaned, peeled, and shredded with a grater)
1 Yellow Onion, finely chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, finely chopped
1 Egg, beaten
1 Teaspoon sea salt
2 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
1/4 Cup Italian Breadcrumbs
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 Eggs
6 Slices Turkey Bacon
1 Large Avocado, sliced into strips
6 Slices White American Cheese
6 Whole Wheat Bagels

Instructions:

Preheat gas grill to medium-high heat.
In a small mixing bowl, combine greek yogurt, Tobasco, lemon juice, and chives. Set aside somewhere cool to chill and combine. In a large mixing bowl, combine beef, sausage, italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly, so as to distribute the seasoning evenly and combine the meat evenly. Using your hands, form 6 patties, each with a hole in the middle (not all the way through) like a small round bowl. Set patties on a plate, and set aside. Clean, peel and shred potatoes. Once shredded, wring out in a few paper towels, or kitchen towel, to remove excess water. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, yellow onion, green bell pepper, egg, salt, flour and breadcrumbs. Mix well, and form into VERY thin potato pancake patties. Set potato cakes on grill, and cook about 3 minutes each side-until golden and crispy on both sides. Meanwhile, using a grill safe skillet, add olive oil, and allow to get hot. Cook the 6 eggs over-easy to to over-medium over medium-high heat on a gas grill 3 eggs at a time-about 2 minutes a side. Remove from grill. At this time, add the burgers to the grill, 3-5 minutes each side, flipping only once. When the eggs are done, remove from grill, but leave in pan. Place bacon and avocado on grill. Cook the bacon until it starts to shrivel, and flip. Cook the avocado slices until they get grill marks on each side. Burgers should be done at this point, so carefully add an egg into each burger hole, careful not to break it! Top with a slice of white american cheese, and remove bacon and avocado from grill. Place bagels (apart) on the grill, and close until the cheese is melted over top of the egg/burger. Remove patties from grill. Remove bagels from grill. Starting with the bottom bagel, spread the greek yogurt mixture over the bagel. Next, the patty. On top of the patty, carefully place slices of bacon (break each slice in half) followed by the potato pancake, and grilled avocado-finish with bagel top.