Green Chili Laced Bacon Mushroom Cheese Burger with Avocado Tomato Relish and Horseradish Sauce

Pairs well with:

Merlot

Get cozy and get pouring. Our Merlot is the wine for long weekends and lengthy chats.

Ingredients:

Horseradish Sauce
•¾ cup mayonnaise
•3 Teaspoons ketchup
•3 teaspoons creamy horseradish (not sauce)
•1 teaspoon granulated sugar
•1 teaspoon lemon juice
•¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Green Chili Relish
•2 fresh Poblano chili peppers
•4 fresh Anaheim chili peppers
•1 fresh Jalapeno chili peppers
•2 canned Chipolte peppers (2 peppers only)
•2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
•2 teaspoons brown sugar
•2 1/2 tablespoons ‘Horseradish Sauce’ (previously prepared)
Patties
•2 pounds ground chuck
•2 teaspoons garlic powder
•2 teaspoons Greek Seasoning (I use Cavender’s with salt)
•2 tablespoons dried sliced Shiitake Mushrooms
•½ cup 2007 Sutter Home Red Wine
•¼ cup hot water
Avocado Tomato Relish
•3 large roma tomatoes
•1 chopped Hass avocado (firm but ripe)
•2 ½ Tablespoons dill pickle relish
•¼ teaspoon salt
Burger Additions
•12 strips of cooked crispy smoked bacon
•6 quarter to half inch slices sweet yellow onion (Vidalia if available)
•6 bun size pieces of green leaf lettuce
•6 fresh Kaiser hamburger buns
•12 white sharp cheddar cheese slices

Instructions:

Preheat an electric grill to 400�, or preheat a gas grill or charcoal grill to medium-high heat.
To make the sauce, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish, sugar, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
Wear gloves when preparing the green chili relish. To begin, rinse the fresh green chilies under cool water and blot them dry. Open the can or jar of chipotle chilis and set 2 chilis aside until time to chop them. Place te whole fresh chilies on the grill—directly over the heat. Turn the chilies with tongs so that the skin of each chili is evenly blistered and blackened (only blacken the skin of the chili not the flesh). Transfer the chilies while hot to 2 dry paper towels. Wrap them in the towels. This will cause them to sweat and become easier to peel. Combine the brown sugar and vinegar in medium heat resistant pan. Remove the chili peppers from the towel and peel off the charred skin of each pepper. Cut each pepper in half, removing the seeds, slice into julienne strips then chop. Add the chopped peppers to the vinegar/sugar mixture and stir lightly. Add the 2 1/2 tablespoons of horseradish sauce. Cover and refrigerate.
To make the patties, combine the hot water and wine in a small bowl. Add the dried mushrooms to the wine mixture. Allow to soak for 10 minutes. Place the ground chuck in a large bowl. Add the garlic powder and Greek seasoning. Remove the mushrooms from the wine mixture, blot and dry them. Mince the mushrooms into tiny pieces. Add mushrooms to the meat mixture. Mix together the meat to combine all ingredients using clean gloved hands. (Do not overwork the meat—handling the meat as little as possible.) Form into 6 equal sized patties and refrigerate until ready to grill.
To prepare the bacon, preheat a grill safe skillet directly on the grill. Fry the bacon until crispy. (You may use precooked bacon and just heat it until crispy to save time.) Break the bacon into 3 inch long strips.
To make the avocado tomato relish, pit, skin, and cut the avocado into even small pieces. Seed and cut the tomatoes into even small pieces. Mix lightly together in a small bowl. Add dill relish and ¼ teaspoon salt. and toss lightly. Cover and set aside.
Wash and tear lettuce into 6 leafy bun size pieces. Set aside. Slice two onions into 6 quarter to half inch slices. Set aside. Cut the buns in half. Place the open side of each bun on grill until they are lightly toasted, about 1-2 minutes. Remove the buns and brush each open side with the horseradish sauce. Place the lettuce, onion, 2 -3 tablespoons of green chili relish (in that order) on the bottom side of each bun.
Brush the rack of the grill with canola oil. Place the patties on the rack and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on the first side. Immediately after flipping the burgers, place 2-3 pieces of bacon on each burger, then 3-4 teaspoons of avocado tomato relish directly on the bacon, then cover the relish with a slice of cheese. Allow the burger to cook a total of 4-5 minutes on side two.
To assemble the burgers, place the top side of the bun on the cheese then place the done burger on the prepared bottom half of the bun. Enjoy!
Makes 6 burgers