Heartland Beef Cheeseburgers with grilled Rosemary Beets

Our growing seasonin the Midwest is brief, but is spectacular. Fat happy cattle wander in green fields, the wheat blows in the breeze, our root vegetables and herbs emerge early and are enjoyed throughout the summer. Minnesota wild rice is still harvested by hand in the northermost part of this area. Our large dairy herds produce some of the richest milk for wonderful cheese. I have combined some of the best of the midwest in my burger. We know the summer is short here, so we grill often. Life is too brief not to enjoy a great burger often.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chuck
1 pound ground sirloin
¾ cup cooked wild rice
¾ cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
3 ounces crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
¼ cup Sutter Home Zinfandel wine
1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 -4 fresh beets, washed and stems removed and sliced 1/4″ thick
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, peeled

½ cup sour cream
2 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard

6 whole wheat Kaiser rolls, sliced
4 paper thin slices red onion
1 bunch romaine leaves

Instructions:

Preheat a gas grill to medium high heat. Combine the chuck, sirloin, wild rice, mushrooms, tarragon, rosemary, blue cheese, 2 tablespoons mustard, wine and 1 teaspoon salt in a mixing bowl. Mix gently. Form into 6 patties. Chill until ready to grill.

Place the beets on a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Combine the olive oil, vinegar, rosemary and ¾ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Toss to coat. Seal foil and place on hot grill. Grill for 20 minutes or until garlic is soft and beets just barely tender. Open packet and remove garlic. Remove beets reserving oil. Cool beets slightly, and peel.

Smash the garlic cloves with the back of a fork in a small bowl. Add the sour cream, horseradish and mustard and combine well. Cover and refrigerate.

Lightly brush the grill grates with olive oil. Place meat on the hot grill and cook until desired doneness if reached, about 4-5 minutes per side. A couple of minutes before the meat is finished cooking place the beet slices on side of grill. Brush beets with reserved oil, vinegar mixture. Grill until hot and grill marked, carefully turning once. Brush cut side of buns with a little of the oil mixture. Place cut side down on grill and warm. Place buns on serving plate. Top each bun bottom with romaine and onion slices. Place burger patty on top. Arrange a couple of beet slices on each burger. Finish with a little of the sour cream mixture and place bun top back in place. Serves 6.