Bone-in Burger

Texas, you think of big ole steak dinners. Big juicy T-bones smothered with mushrooms and potato on the side. Accompanied by a nice salad. This burger is a whimsical interpretation of a steak dinner, with a bone-in steak, potatoes and something green.

Ingredients:

6 pickles about 3 1/2 inches long
8 ounces fresh mozarella, mashed up
5 ounces crumbled blue cheese
2 pounds ground chuck, divided
8 cloves garlic, divided
1 7 ounce can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 bunch green onions, cut in half, white ends minced
5 tablespoons Sutter Home Merlot, divided
3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce, divided
2 tablespoons freshly ground peppercorn medley
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 medium potatoes
olive oil
18 slices thick cut bacon
2 tomatoes
18 pieces fresh asparagus
1 pkg bearnaise sauce mix
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons butter softened
6 pieces texas toast

Instructions:

To make the “bones.”
Cut the ends off the pickles. Using a vegetable peeler, hollow out the pickles. Stuff the hollowed pickles with the mashed mozarella. Set aside. Add the blue cheese to the remaining mozarella and set aside.

To make the patties.
Place 1/2 pound beef in medium bowl, add 3 cloves garlic minced, half the minced mushrooms, half the minced ends of the green onions, 1 tablespoon red wine, 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon pepper, 1 teaspoon salt. Gently combine all ingredients. Shape into 12 equal balls.

Place 1 1/2 pounds beef in large bowl, add 3 cloves garlic minced, half the minced mushrooms, half the minced ends of the green onions, 2 tablespoons red wine, 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Gently combine all ingredients. Shape into 6 equal balls.

Form the 6 large balls into patties. Place a pickle “bone” in the center of each patty and finish shaping the patties.
Flatten the 12 smaller balls and place one on top of each larger patty and smooth so the pickle is completely covered on that side. Then flip the patties and cover the other side with the remaining six flattened balls, smoothing so the pickles are completely covered. Cover and refrigerate the patties until ready to grill.

To make the potatoes.
Slice the potatoes into 12 1/4 inch slices. Lightly coat with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill the potato slices about 10 minutes over medium heat. Flip potatoes and cook 8 more minutes. Add cheese topping to each slice and cook about 2 more minutes letting cheese melt. Remove from heat, wrap with foil and set aside.

To make the asparagus packets.
Grill the bacon slices 2 – 3 minutes on each side. Cut the tomatoes into 18 wedges. Cut the tips of the asparagus about 4 inches long. Cut the reserved green onion tops into 16 4 inch long pieces.
Roll one piece of bacon around one tomato wedge, one green onion strip, and one asparagus tip and secure with toothpick. Repeat until there are 18 wrapped asparagus ready. Grill until bacon is cooked and asparagus is tender. Remove from heat, wrap with foil and set aside.

To make the sauce.
Combine 2 tablespoons red wine, one clove minced garlic bearnaise mix and 1/2 cup mayonnaise in a bowl. Mix until smooth. Set aside.

To make the toast.
Mix one clove minced garlic and the butter, spread on both sides of the toast. Toast the bread over grill during the last two minutes of cooking time for the patties.

Over medium high heat, lightly oil the grill grates with olive oil. Grill the burgers 5 – 7 minutes on each side with grill closed.

To assemble burgers.
Place one slice toast on a plate, top with 2 slices of potato, 3 asparagus bundles, a patty, and drizzle with the sauce.