Sweet Onion Burgers with Blue Cheese Special Sauce

& Charred Corn, Green Bean and Cucumber Salad

Featured Cocktail: Maple Old Fashioned

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

Sauce:

1 cup sour cream

3 T buttermilk or half n half

1 T Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

½ cup finely chopped chives, parsley and dill, combined  

½ cup crumbled blue cheese or smoked blue cheese

A few dashes of hot sauce, optional

Juice of ½ lemon

Burgers:

1 ½ pounds Impossible or other plant-based meat or 1 ½ pounds ground beef 80% 

Kosher salt and black pepper

4 thick slices of vidalia or sweet red onion

8 long toothpicks to secure the onions

Non aerosol cooking spray

3/4 cup water or stock

8 slices of cheese, cheddar, Swiss or American or a combo, optional 

4 soft or brioche burger buns 

Sliced pickles 

Lettuce and sliced tomato 

Cooking spray non aerosol

Salad:

2 T olive oil

1 small or ½ red onion, finely chopped

1 each jalapeno and red chili pepper, seeded and chopped

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

8-12 ounces green beans, trimmed and sliced on a bias*

If you prefer green beans that are very tender, cook in boiling salted water 3 minutes before slicing.

3 large ears or 3 cups charred corn* 

Out of season this can be defrosted kernels from frozen section of roasted corn kernels.

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

½ seedless cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers, quartered and chopped

2 limes

½ cup cilantro or parsley, chopped

About 3 T olive oil

Salt and pepper   

Hot sauce, to taste

Directions:

Burgers: Combine ingredients for sauce in medium bowl and chill.

Form four patties by scoring the portions first and forming equal patties a bit thinner at center for beef and thin and even for plant-based meat.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat.

Secure onions so you can turn them with crisscrossing toothpicks to secure what looks like onion bullseyes.  Spray pan to coat with oil, add sliced onions and cook about 3 minutes or until evenly browed but not soft, season with salt and pepper and turn and cook 3 minutes more, add water and let it fully evaporate and absorb into onions, remove to plate to cool a bit to remove toothpicks.  Add another light spray of oil and add the burgers.  I cook Impossible at medium heat.  Cook patties about 8 minutes and top with 2 slices of cheese if using.   

While patties cook top bun bottoms with pickles, lettuce and tomatoes.  Add patties when done and top them with lots of blue cheese sauce and bun top.

Salad: If using fresh corn, heat a grill over high heat and spray it with oil, add corn and char all over, remove and cool, scrape kernels once cool.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add 2 turns of the pan of olive oil, add onions and chilies, garlic and green beans and toss and stir 4-5 minutes, add corn if using frozen just to warm a bit, 1 minute, transfer mixture to large bowl. 

Add tomatoes and cucumbers and cooled fresh grilled corn to salad with cilantro or parsley and lime juice, oil, salt and pepper to taste and hot sauce.

 
Maple Old Fashioned:

Bourbon, Maple Syrup, Angostura, Orange twist garnish, served over ice in rocks glass