Brussels Burger with Bacon and Gorgonzola cheese

One of my favorite vegetables is the Brussels Sprout and I have had a hard time getting my family to share in my love for this forgotten veggie.Putting together my daughters love of burgers and my husbands affinity for Gorgonzola I combined all of our favorites and its been a big hit!

Ingredients:

Lemon Thyme Mayonnaise

1 cup mayo

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest grated

1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper ground

Bacon Brussels Relish with Gorgonzola cheese

½ lb bacon sliced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 cups Brussels sprouts, cored and shredded

2 tablespoons shallots diced

½ cup Gorgonzola cheese crumbled

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper ground

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Patties

2 lbs ground chuck 80/20 %

3 garlic cloves minced

½ cup shallots diced

1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons fresh thyme chopped

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for brushing on grill rack

6 crusty round buns split

6- ½ inch slices large red tomato

Instructions:

Preheat gas grill to medium high heat.

To make mayonnaise combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to assemble burgers

To make Brussels, place a large cast iron skillet on the grill over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, 5-6 minutes per sided. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Cover with foil to keep warm. Drain all but 3 tablespoons of rendered bacon fat. Add butter to reserved fat in same pan and add shaved Brussels and shallots. Cook until Brussels are tender, 6 minutes. Add Gorgonzola cheese and stir until melted. Add cayenne pepper, salt, lemon juice stirring to combine. Finish with reserved bacon crumbled, remove from heat and cover with foil to keep warm.

To prepare patties, in large bowl combine all ingredients. Handle the meat as little as possible and mix well. Form mixture into 6 equal round patties and refrigerate until ready to grill.

Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Place patties on the grill, cover, and cook, turning once 4-5 minutes each side for medium. During last 2 minutes of grilling place buns cut side down on edges of grill to lightly toast. Remove burgers and buns from grill.

To assemble burgers, spread 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise on cut sides of buns top and bottom. Spoon equal portions of the Brussels relish on the bun bottoms, followed by the burger, and tomato slices. Add the bun tops and serve.