Three Rivers ‘Pittsburger’

Ingredients:

For Mustard Onion Spread:
1/2 cup good brown mustard
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

For Grilled Pierogies:
12 potato and cheese pierogies, thawed if frozen
1 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

For Patties:
2 pounds freshly ground chuck
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup chunky applesauce

1 ring of kielbasa, sliced into thin long strips; sliced end to end – not medallions

6 burger sized pretzel rolls

Instructions:

Preheat a gas grill to medium-high, on my grill that’s setting 6.
To make the mustard onion spread, wisk mustard, onion, cream cheese, mayonnaise and hot sauce together in medium bowl. Cover with plastic, and refrigerate.
To prepare pierogies, trim the flat pasta lip of each pierogi down leaving only a small edge around the filling, while being careful not to create any holes where the filling could escape. Once all the pierogies are trimmed, place them in a large plastic zip-top bag along with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Seal bag then shake gently to coat the pierogies. Set aside to rest.
To make the patties, combine the chuck, garlic, salt, pepper, Worcestershire, and applesauce in a large bowl, handling just enough to thoroughly combine, but not compact. Shape into 6 patties to fit the buns. Loosely cover and set aside.
When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning once, about 6 minutes on each side for medium. During the first 2-3 minutes of grilling, place the kielbasa slices on the grill, about 1-1 ½ minutes per side, just to lightly brown. When the kielbasa is done move it to the upper rack of the grill to keep warm. Once the kielbasa is done, remove the pierogies from the zip-top bag, allowing the excess oil to drain, and place on the grill with the burgers. Grill 1-2 minutes on each side until lightly browned and crispy. Place the pretzel buns, cut side down, on the outer edges of the grill rack to toast lightly during the last 1-2 minutes of patty grilling.
To assemble the burgers, spread generous amount of mustard onion spread on cut sides of each bun. Place a patty on each bottom bun bottom, followed by two grilled pierogies placed side by side on top of the patty. Next layer four of the kielbasa strips on top of the pierogie. Place on top bun and serve.

Makes 6 Burgers