Sweet & Spicy Green Mountain Mini-Burgers

Ingredients:

Maple Onions:
1 1/2 T. butter
1 1/2 T. olive oil
3 yellow onions, diced
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1/2 t. sugar
3 T. pure maple syrup

Patties:
1 1/2 lb ground chuck
1/2 lb. ground pork sausage
1 1/2 T. worcestershire sauce
1/2 T. soy sauce
1 t. rubbed sage
1 t. garlic powder
1 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. black pepper

2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil, for brushing on the grill rack
2 1/4 c. grated Vermont Cheddar cheese
18 potato dinner rolls, sliced in half

Instructions:

Preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

To make the onions, melt the butter into the olive oil in a large skillet over the preheated grill. Add the onions, salt, pepper and sugar and cook, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan frequently, until the onions are golden brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the maple syrup, stirring to coat the onions and remove any remaining browned bits from the pan. Continue to cook about 2 minutes more. Remove from the pan, set aside and keep warm.

To make the patties, thoroughly combine ground beef, pork sausage, worcestershire, soy sauce, sage, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, cayenne, salt and pepper. Shape beef mixture into 18 miniature patties, approximately 3 inches in diameter.

Brush the grill rack with the vegetable oil and place patties on the rack. Grill the first side for 4 minutes. Flip the patties and continue cooking the second side to your desired doneness. During the last few minutes of cooking melt 2 tablespoons of white cheddar on top of each patty.

To assemble, place the cheese-topped patties on the bottom half of the dinner rolls. Top each with a dollop of the maple onions and cover with the roll tops. Arrange 3 mini-burgers on each plate and serve.