Onion Slider Burgers (revised)

I love the taste of beef and caramelized onions. I have recently developed a craving for slider sized burgers that allow me to enjoy the taste of a good burger without becoming full too quickly.

Ingredients:

3 large yellow onions

1 TBSP butter

1 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP white wine

½ cup mayonnaise

1 clove garlic crushed

¼ tsp. minced flat leaf parsley

¼ tsp. Dijon mustard

1 ½ pounds chilled ground beef (80/20 lean to fat ratio)

¾ tsp. ground black pepper

¾ tsp. salt

1 dozen kings Hawaiian dinner rolls

Instructions:

1. Remove outer skin from onions and cut off the hard root end along with the top end. Slice the onions lengthwise and set aside on your cutting board.

2. Add butter and olive oil to a large cast iron skillet and set on hot grill over medium high until mixture begins to shimmer. Add onions to pan, toss until evenly coated, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt after they have cooked 10 minutes. Stir the onions once they begin to brown as liquid reduces. Use heavy spatula to turn and scrape onions when they become caramel in color and begin to stick to pan. Add 1 TBSP of white wine to deglaze pan if some of the onion won’t release. Entire onion mixture should turn medium to dark brown in 20-40 minutes total cooking time.

3. While onions are cooking, add mayonnaise, garlic, parsley, and mustard to a small bowl and mix until combined. Place in refrigerator if weather or kitchen is very warm.

4. Add ground beef to a large mixing bowl taking care to handle it as little as possible with your bare hands. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and use a large spatula or metal spoon instead of your hands to loosely mix seasonings into the meat. Don’t over mix or burgers will be dense.

5. Place the meat on a cutting board and divide it into 12 even pieces using a large metal spatula or metal dough scraper. Place a sheet of wax paper over all 12 pieces and use a small drinking glass to slightly flatten each patty. Refrigerate patties until ready to grill.

6. Split dinner rolls in half just like burger buns and place them cut side down on grill until toasted. Set aside and tent with foil to keep warm.

7. Place patties on grill and cook 3 minutes per side for medium rare or 4 minutes for medium. Remove burgers from heat, place on a serving plate, and tent with foil for 3 minutes to retain juices. Spread each roll with thin layer of garlic mayonnaise and top each bottom with a burger. Add 1 TBSP of caramelized onions on top of each burger and cover with roll tops. Serve immediately.