A new and different way to make a burger. I used beef, but you could easily-enough use ground turkey or a combination of both. There’s a delicious spinach, onion, and mushroom sauce spooned over the top and it’s nestled on a toasted piece of bread.
When I saw the photo of this recipe at Pioneer Woman in 2011 (she didn’t cook them, she just had a link), the link sent me to Pink Parsley’s blog – she’s the one who prepared this burger. At the time I just saved it in my to-try internet file on my computer. My recipe program (MasterCook) will sort easily enough, so I looked up ground beef recipes and this one sounded good. Oh, yes, indeed it was.
First I must tell you I made a few minor changes to the recipe (I put part of the mushrooms in the sauce; I added another pinch of nutmeg; I used a piece of whole wheat grain bread, regular size, not the Texas toast called for; I added more half and half than indicated to thin out the sauce; I used a 6-ounce pkg of fresh baby spinach, not the 8 ounces called for; and I added 2 more T. of butter to the spinach sauce – after tasting it I thought it needed it).
The burgers are easy enough – some sautéed sliced and chopped mushrooms, garlic, a tiny bit of soy sauce, fresh thyme, fresh parsley, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper all go into the ground beef mix. I patted them out and used the Cook’s Illustrated technique of pressing the center down (a big dip) since burgers always seem to mound up – it worked like a charm, I must say.
Burger Hint:
Did you know that if you press a slight indentation in the center of burgers (see photo above, right front shows it best), when you cook the burgers they’ll be level rather than mounded up in the center, which is so annoying!
Meanwhile, I made the sauce – basically a white sauce with some half and half and chicken broth, some onion, with a jot of nutmeg and cayenne, the spinach (it’s a lot, but it cooks way down, of course) and some Parmigiano cheese. Very easy to make – and if time permits, you can do it an hour ahead and just reheat. I toasted the bread in my toaster oven, grilled the burgers on a stovetop grill, and served it up. A great recipe.
What I liked: the variety of flavors in the dish – the beef, mushrooms, spinach, the cream sauce that makes it silky easy to eat, and the little bit of crispy toast on the bottom. The flavors were wonderful. Definitely worth making. I’m so glad I have 2 burgers left over for another dinner in a night or two.
What I didn’t like: nada, nothing. A definite make again dish.
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Steakhouse Mushroom Burgers
Recipe By: Adapted from Pink Parsley Blog, and she got it from the magazine, Cuisine Tonight: Grilling, 2011
Serving Size: 4
4 ounces mushrooms — sliced and chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil — divided
2 cloves garlic — minced
1 pound ground sirloin
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 slices bread — buttered Texas Toast type
CREAMED SPINACH SAUCE: (2 cups)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 ounces mushrooms — sliced
1/4 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup half and half — plus more as needed (about another 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
kosher salt and black pepper
1 pinch cayenne
2 pinches nutmeg
4 cups chopped fresh spinach
2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese — grated (added to sauce)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter — (my addition)
1 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese — grated for garnish
1. Preheat the grill to medium-high.
2. In a medium saute pan, saute the mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook until the mushrooms begin to brown, 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, combine the sirloin with 1 tablespoon oil, soy sauce, salt, pepper, mustard, herbs, and mushroom mixture. Gently mix to combine using a fork or your hands. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each portion into a patty.
4. Scrape the grate clean and brush with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Grill the burgers until cooked through, 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the burgers from the grill and cover to keep warm. Grill the bread 1-2 minutes per side, until lightly browned.
5. To make the spinach sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook until onions are translucent, 3-4 minutes. Stir the flour into the onions and cook 1 minute.
6. Whisk in the half-and-half, broth, salt, cayenne, and nutmeg. Bring sauce to a simmer, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, until it begins to thicken. Add the additional butter and stir until melted.
7. Add the spinach, stirring until wilted. Mix in the Parmesan and lemon juice, and add more half-and-half if the sauce has thickened too much. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Top each slice of bread with a burger, spinach sauce, and garnish with Parmesan. Serve immediately.
Per Serving: 656 Calories; 50g Fat (67.9% calories from fat); 30g Protein; 23g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 131mg Cholesterol; 757mg Sodium.
Toffeeapple
said on March 12th, 2012:
That sounds like a very tasty recipe Carolyn. Mushrooms always taste so good in anything.
It WAS a good recipe. We ate the 2nd two burgers a couple of nights later and it was just as good! I’ll be making them again. . . carolyn t