Rooster Burgers with Wild Mushrooms and Pan Fried Potatoes
Ingredients:
Patties:
1 1/2 pounds grass fed ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1 medium red onion, grated
1 tablespoon white truffle oil
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Sautéed Wild Mushroom:
1 tablespoons peanut oil
5 tablespoons butter
6 cups wild mushroom blend (any combination of baby belle, shitake, oyster, chanterelle, or beech), cleaned and sliced
1/8 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Pan Fried Potatoes:
Four medium Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, sliced 1/8 inch with a mandolin
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/8 finely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons butter
Dijonnaise:
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons Dijon style mustard
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, for brushing on the grill rack
6 French rolls (the crust should be softer than a baguette)
3/4 pound Swiss Emmenthaler cheese, sliced
One clove of garlic, peeled and sliced lengthwise
2 cups baby spinach leaves
White truffle oil to lightly drizzle over burger
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, pork, grated onion, salt and oil in a large bowl. Fold the ingredients into the meat, softly kneading without overworking. Divide the meat into six portions, gently shape into balls, and place on a flat plate. Lightly press the balls into patties with palm of hand to about 1 1/2 inches thick. Set aside.
To sauté the mushrooms, heat a large, heavy nonstick fire-proof skillet on the grill. Pour enough peanut oil to coat the bottom of the skillet, and add 5 tablespoons of butter. After the butter is melted add the wild mushrooms blend. Once the mushrooms have started to brown flip the pan, keeping then evenly distributed. Sauté until a light nutty brown, then throw in the salt. Continue cooking and flipping until the mushrooms are a beautiful deep golden color, about six minutes. Remove from the heat, add 3 tablespoons of freshly chopped thyme, and mix gently. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and set aside.
To prepare the potatoes, place the slices in a bowl and rinse under cold running water to remove the excess starch. Drain and season evenly with salt and pepper. In the same skillet used earlier for the wild mushrooms, add 3 tablespoons of oil and return to the grill to heat. Add the slices of potato, layering and overlapping one another without shuffling. To keep the potatoes from sticking shake the skillet back and forth without flipping or tossing. Once the bottom layer has started to brown, flip the potatoes using a large spatula and. add 2 tablespoons of butter. The potatoes should be golden brown in 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a paper towel covered plate and set aside.
To make the Dijonnaise, mix the finely chopped fresh thyme leaves, mayonnaise and Dijon mustard in a bowl. Set aside.
When ready to cook the burgers, brush the grill rack with peanut oil. Place the patties on the hottest part of the grill. After 2 minutes move the burgers to a medium-high area of the grill, rotating 90 degrees on the same side. Flip the burgers after a total of 5 minutes. While the patties are cooking, cut the French roll in half and hollow out both sides. Place the rolls face down on the coolest part of the grill until lightly toasted. Three minutes after flipping the burgers place the cheese slices on the patties and cook for 2 more minutes covered or until desired doneness. Only flip the burgers once.
To assemble the burgers, lightly rub the inside of each toasted bun, top and bottom, with the fleshy half of a cut clove of garlic. On each bun bottom add a spoonful of Dijonnaise, fresh clean spinach leaves, a layer of pan fried potato slices, and the sautéed wild mushrooms. Lightly drizzle white truffle oil around the mushrooms and place the cheesy burger on top. Add a dollop of Dijonnaise to the top buns and serve.