My husband, who is always beginning a diet, adores hamburgers and regularly sneaks out for a guilty indulgence at a local fast food restaurant. He never tells me about these indiscretions, but he doesn't have to. A telltale spot of mustard or ketchup on his shirt reveals his secret rendezvous with his favorite sandwich.
For Father's Day, June 17, guess what our family is planning to serve him? Although everyone at our house loves traditional lightly charred burgers topped with grilled onions served on toasted buns slathered in mustard, I wanted to create something different. I tested several new combinations, and decided on grilled burgers covered with creamy melted fontina cheese and mounded with warm mushroom-and-bacon relish.
Corn on the cob and a salad of tomato wedges and green beans tossed in a mustard dressing are easy side dishes that I am thinking of serving with these sandwiches. I'm still deciding between a rich lemon cheesecake garnished with blueberries and mint or strawberry shortcakes with whipped cream for dessert. So much for diets!
Grilled Burgers With Mushroom-Bacon Relish and Fontina Cheese
Serves 6
RELISH:
About 10 ounces portobello mushrooms
4 strips bacon (about 4 ounces), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chopped red onions
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
3 / 4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more if needed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
BURGERS:
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef, preferably 80 percent lean (see Note)
salt
freshly ground black pepper
dried thyme leaves
6 thin slices fontina cheese (if possible, Italian fontina)
6 good-quality hamburger rolls, split
1 garlic clove, split
6 crisp lettuce greens such as Green Leaf
To prepare Relish, cut out and discard tough stems from mushrooms. Rinse mushrooms and pat dry. Cut into 1/2 -inch dice so you have 3 1/2 to 3 3 / 4 cups. Save extras for another use.
Saute bacon in medium heavy skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Pour off and discard all but 2 tablespoons of drippings in pan. Add mushrooms and onions and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add thyme, salt and vinegar and cook, stirring, another minute until vinegar has evaporated. Remove from heat and stir in bacon. Taste and season with more salt if needed. (Mushroom relish can be made a day ahead. Cool, cover and refrigerate. Reheat, stirring, over low heat.)
To prepare Burgers, shape ground beef into 6 equal-size patties. Season both sides of each patty generously with salt, pepper and thyme.
Prepare grill with rack set 4 to 5 inches from heat. When grill is ready, place burgers on rack and grill, turning once or twice, until meat thermometer inserted into burgers registers 160 degrees. Top burgers with cheese and grill until cheese melts, 1 minute or less. Toast rolls on grill for a few seconds, then remove and rub toasted sides with garlic.
To serve, place lettuce leaves on bottom halves of rolls, then add burgers. Spoon warm mushroom relish on burgers. Cover with tops of rolls. Serve immediately.
Note: Ground beef can be replaced with ground turkey.
