Harvest Moon Burger

Pairs well with:

Gewurztraminer

Hard to pronounce yet easy to drink, this wine combines lychee fruit and white peach flavors with a hint of spice.

Ingredients

· 1 1/4 c. good quality mayonnaise
2 cloves chopped fresh garlic
2 T. finely crumbled mild blue cheese (I used the local mild Boucher Blue)
1 1/2 lb. ground organic or grass-fed chuck
1/2 lb. pork breakfast sausage, preferably organic and nitrate free, removed from casing
1 garlic clove, minced
2 fresh sage leaves, chopped very fine
1 1/2 t. kosher salt
2 T. olive oil
1 Spanish onion, 1/2” dice
4 peeled and sliced Gala apples
1/2 c. Sutter Home White Zinfandel
1 T. candied (crystallized) ginger, chopped very fine
Vegetable oil for the grill rack
6 soft whole wheat rolls (I used “The World’s Best Hamburger Rolls” from our wonderful local Great Harvest Café)
3 C. Baby Arugula, rinsed and dried well

 

Instructions

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or else preheat a gas grill to medium high.

Make the aioli by combining mayonnaise, garlic and crumbled blue cheese in a small bowl, mashing the blue cheese chunks until they are well combined. Cover bowl and place in refrigerator until ready to use.

Form burgers by mixing beef, sausage, garlic, sage and salt well with hands in a large bowl. Without overworking the mix, form into patties that will fit well onto their rolls.

Make relish by heating olive oil in large sauté pan until rippling. Place onions in, stir to coat with olive oil and then cook over medium heat until nearly transparent. Add apples, stir, cover and cook over medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Add white zinfandel and cook uncovered for 5 minutes more. Stir well, then use a potato masher to mash mixture, leaving it a little bit chunky, but of a good consistency for spreading. Stir in chopped candied ginger. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

When grill is ready, brush with vegetable oil. Cook patties 5-7 minutes per side for medium. During the last minutes of grilling, add sliced buns to the outside of the rack – you want them warm but still soft. When burgers are done, remove buns from rack. Place burger on bottom roll, then a generous amount of blue cheese aioli, a good schmear of apple relish, and ½ c. of arugula. Top with roll tops and serve.