Beefy Bacon Burger with Maple-Worcestershire Onions

Sometimes…you just want a burger. Am I right? We mostly eat turkey burgers at Casa Garcia, but yesterday I found myself wanting a beefy and substantial burger. I was thumbing through this month’s issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray during lunch and found a contender: a burger with double bacon and double cheese…but what really caught my attention were the maple-caramelized onions it was topped with. After an indulgent December, double anything is just not part of our eating plan...so I decided to alter the recipe to make it a bit less guilt-inducing, but still keep all the amazing flavors.

To do that, I kept the bacon that was in the burger mix but skipped the second helping of bacon on top of the burger…and I also only used one slice of Colby jack cheese instead of two. To save a few more calories, I used 90% lean ground sirloin and reduced the size of the burgers from 1/2 pound of meat per patty to 1/3 pound. I also added a few ingredients to the hamburger mix to spice them up a bit and subbed white wine for apple cider in the amazing caramelized onions. This burger was plenty yummy without the excess calories from doubling down on the higher-fat ingredients!

Beefy Bacon Burger with 

Maple-Worcestershire Onions

adapted from EveryDay with Rachael Ray

Step 1:  Combine the following ingredients in a mixing bowl: 1 lb. ground sirloin, 2 tbs. grainy Dijon mustard, 4 slices cooked crumbled bacon, 2 grated or finely chopped garlic cloves, 2 tbs. chopped flat-leaf parsley, 1 tsp. Cajun seasoning, 1 tsp. steak seasoning, 1 tsp. sea salt, and a few grinds of course black pepper.  Combine the ingredients thoroughly...clean hands are perfect for this!

Step 2:  Melt 2 tbs. butter and 1 tbs. olive oil in a non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Slice a large yellow onion into slivers and add to the pan. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook until soft, about 15 minutes. Lower heat to medium and add 1/2 cup  maple syrup (spring for  the real deal, not Mrs. Butterworth's...), 1/2 cup white wine (or beer), and 2 tbs. worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine and bring to a boil...let it bubble and cook for 8-10 minutes. The onions will look jammy and caramelized by then.

Step 3:  Shape the burger mixture into three patties. Cook on med-high for 4-5 minutes per side. When the burgers are done, top with a slice of co-jack marbled cheese. Once the cheese is melted, you're ready to assemble the burger. Toast a split kaiser roll. Place a burger on the bottom of the bun and top with 1/3 of the onions. There will be some glaze left in the pan, so spread some of it onto the top bun. Then? Get ready to eat!

Man, this was one good burger! The ground sirloin was juicy, and the smoky bacon flavor was in every bite. And the onions? OMG…they were fabulous!!! They were sweet and jammy in texture after cooking, and they gave the burger a sweet-tangy taste that made this way better than an ordinary burger. Next time, I’ll double the onions so I can double down on those when topping the burgers…much healthier than a double dose of bacon and cheese, for sure. 

The recipe didn’t call for it, but I’m thinking that a bit of steak sauce spread on the bottom bun would be a fantastic addition to this burger. I served these burgers with Alexia oven crinkle fries on the side, but corn on the cob would be another healthy and yummy side. I hope all of you will give this burger a try the next time you get a craving for a burger!

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