Burger Envy

Although I'm a big fan of most food (clearly) burgers have a special place in my heart.  So it's no wonder I was easily swayed in their direction.  With All About Eve, I wanted to make something with apples.  Apple Crumble, Apple Pie, Apple Strudel...but I decided to go a little crazy.  I found a recipe for Portobello Burgers with Apple-Celery Slaw and then decided to finish it off with fabulous baked Sweet Potato Fries.  Jealous?

Apple Slaw and Envious Burgers (with Sensational Sweet Potato Fries)
(Adapted from Epicurious.com)

You'll Need:

For burgers:
1 medium onion, chopped
10 ounces portobello mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 pound ground beef
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
4 hamburger buns, toasted

For slaw:
2 celery ribs
1/2 Granny Smith apple, cored (left unpeeled)
1 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Sides:  Sweet Potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper.

 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. Slice the sweet potato into french fry like strips.  Drizzle with oil and top with salt and pepper.
2. Bake for about a half hour, until cooked through and crispy.  Remove from head and 
3. Meanwhile, finely chop mushrooms and onion, or pulse in a food processor.  
4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add mushroom and onion mixture, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to brown and liquid has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. 
5. Transfer to a bowl and cool to warm, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.




Cut celery and apple into 2-inch-long thin julienne strips.
Whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, oil, mustard, sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add celery and apple, tossing to coat. Let stand 15 minutes to develop flavors.
Mix ground beef into cooled mushroom mixture with your hands until well combined. Add in 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese.  Form into 4 (4-inch) patties.
Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook burgers, turning once, about 8 minutes total for medium-rare.  Add the remained cheese to top of burgers, if desired.
Serve burgers, topped with slaw, on buns with a side of fries.  Enjoy!

These burgers were incredible---but a little mushy.  The moisture from the mushrooms made the patties difficult to form, and hard to cook, with the end result that the burgers tasted more like meatballs than burgers.  Even the brand new fabulous burger press we used didn't help!

Adjustable Nonstick Burger Press

But the slaw was fantastic, with the apple giving a great sweetness and crunch.  And if you've read my blog you know how I feel about homemade french fries.  All in all I'd probably skip the mushrooms and do regular burgers---but keep the slaw and definitely the fries!