By I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it lately, but I’m a super lucky lady in that my husband basically does all of the cooking in our household. And, not only does he prepare the actual meals but he also creates a meal plan each week, complete with recipes and a shopping list. Not to say I don’t do my fair share of pitching in, but he definitely gets the majority of the credit for what comes out of our kitchen each week — and this past one was no exception.
We hosted dinner guests on Tuesday evening and treated them to a delicious meal of bisons burgers and watermelon salad. The former was a bit of an adventure as the recipe called for igniting whiskey, which we successfully did — with just a minor hiccup in setting off the fire alarms and thoroughly traumatizing our pup.
The recipe turned out amazingly well, and paired with the watermelon salad (a summer staple of mine), was the perfect meal for a backyard summer dinner. Some enjoyed the meal with a New-England style IPA (which we just happened to have brewed), while others opted for a funky sour from one of my husband’s favorite local breweries.
Bison Burgers with Whiskey-Glazed and Charred Onions
Adapted from CookingChannelTV.com
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup whiskey
- 1 1/2 pounds ground bison
- 1 white onion
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 4 brioche rolls
- handful of mixed greens
Directions
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
Heat the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Stir in the onion, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until softened and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the sugar, then pull the pan off the heat and carefully add the whiskey. Ignite the whiskey with a gas flame or a long kitchen match and cook until the flames die down. Continue to cook until the onions are glazed, about 2 minutes. Let cool, then season with salt to taste.
Break the bison up in a large bowl and season with 11/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, then divide and form into 4 (4-inch) patties.
Slice the white onion crosswise into 4 (1/3-inch-thick) slices. Skewer each onion slice to hold together, then rub with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Grill onions, turning once, until softened, about 8 minutes.
Brush the grill grate with oil. Grill the burgers, turning once, until grill marks appear, 6 to 8 minutes total for medium-rare. Set aside to rest while you toast the buns.
Brush the cut sides of the rolls with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and grill cut-side down until grill marks appear, 1 to 2 minutes.
Put a burger on the bottom portion of buns and top with lettuce leaves, whiskey-glazed onions, grilled onions, and bun tops. Enjoy!
Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint
Ingredients
- 1 small (or 1/4 large) watermelon, cut into 1-inch chunks with rind removed
- juice from one lemon
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces or so of feta cheese
In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, fresh lime juice, salt, and black pepper to create a dressing. Place watermelon in a large salad bowl. Pour dressing and chopped mint over the watermelon and toss gently to coat. Pour the crumbled feta into the salad bowl and stir gently to integrate the cheese into the salad. Enjoy!
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