The Peppered Bite
Ingredients:
Smoothly Peppered Patties
2 pounds ground hamburger (85/15)
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
¼ cup Chardonnay
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon scallions, thinly sliced, including the greens and whites
1 ½ teaspoons ground mustard
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
Onion-Peppered Sauce
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sour cream
¼ cup scallions, thinly sliced, including the greens and whites
2 teaspoons chives, finely chopped
¾ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 ½ teaspoons Chardonnay
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
6 – ¼” slices of sharp white cheddar cheese
6 sourdough ciabatta rolls, sliced in half
6 cups pre-washed baby arugula
Instructions:
Prepare a charcoal grill with a cover to medium-high heat or preheat a gas grill to medium-high heat.
While the grill is heating, prepare the patties, in a large mixing bowl, by thoroughly combining the hamburger, garlic, Chardonnay, scallions, ground mustard, salt, and pepper, handling the meat as little as possible. Score the meat into six equal sections. Taking one section at a time, form each burger patty in your hands, dimpling the center of the patty, so when it cooks, it will swell up, and the patty will be evenly flat across the entire patty.
When the grill is ready, brush the heated rack with the vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning once, for 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until cooked to medium well, adding the sliced cheese to the top of the patty when two minutes of cooking time remain on the second side.
While the burgers are cooking, grill the sourdough ciabatta rolls open-faced over indirect heat for two minutes, flipping after one minute.
To assemble the burgers, spread the sauce onto each cut side of the bottom and top of each roll. Arrange ½ cup of baby arugula onto each bottom roll. Place the patty, cheese side up, onto the bed of arugula, and cover each patty with ½ cup of arugula. Crown each burger with the top half of each roll and serve immediately.
Makes 6 burgers.