Smoky Bacon Burger Dipped In Cheesy Fondue Sauce

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds freshly ground beef
2 TBS Sutter Home Chardonnay wine
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 medium Granny Smith apple, diced
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt

1/2 pound Emmenthaler cheese, shredded
1/2 pound gruyere cheese, shredded
2 TBS flour
1 3/4 cups Sutter Home Chardonnay
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg

6 crusty French rolls, split
3 TBS olive oil
12 crispy slices of apple-wood smoked bacon, cooked

Instructions:

Preheat the gas grill to medium-high.

In a large bowl, add your ground beef, Chardonnay, chopped scallions, diced apple, black pepper and salt. Mix gently but thoroughly, being careful not to overwork the mixture. Form the mixture into 6 patties. Set aside to let rest.

In a medium bowl, toss together your shredded cheeses with 2 TBS flour.

In a heavy-bottomed, medium sauce pan on the hot grill, add 1 3/4 cups Chardonnay and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic. Bring wine to a simmer and add the cheese, a handful at a time, stirring constantly until cheese is fully melted. Add grated nutmeg and stir to combine. Set aside and keep warm while you cook your burgers.

Put your burger patties on the preheated grill over direct heat. Cook burgers for a total of 5 minutes per side. A few minutes before the burgers are cooked to your desired doneness, brush the inside of your rolls with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and put on the grill to toast slightly. When everything is ready, assemble your burgers – carefully dip your patty into the fondue pot to coat completely before placing into a toasted roll. Top each fondue-coated patty with a 2 slices of crispy bacon and finish with top of roll. Enjoy!

Serves 6