Tonight was the first time I ever tried a bison burger. I’ve been wanting to make bison burgers for quite some time and I finally did. My husband and daughter, who apparently are not very adventurous with food, refused to try this. Therefore, they got plain old, regular burgers.Personally, I think they missed out on this one. These burgers were great! Bison is leaner than ground beef, which was one of the reasons I’ve wanted to try them for so long. I always prefer a leaner meat. These bison burgers were juicy and flavorful.  Since it was my first time trying bison, I wanted to experience the taste as is …. not too much in the way of seasoning.

I did add kosher salt and pepper, of course, and also decided to add Santa Maria seasoning. The bottle says it’s good on tri-tip, steak, roast, chicken and seafood … how could I go wrong? I also added an egg and bread crumbs to the meat.

I wanted to top my burger with grilled onions, so I made grilled balsamic onions. I also decided I’d make my burger a cheeseburger, so added a slice of gouda. I thought it would be really “gouda” and it was! The only condiment I put on my bison burger was dijon mustard.

I’m going to have a leftover burger on Tuesday night and serve it with a side of Brussels sprouts. No bun, just the meat and vegetables. I can’t wait, a leftover to look forward to.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground bison

• 1 egg

• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 1 teaspoon Santa Maria seasoning

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Mix meat together with salt, pepper, Santa Maria seasoning, egg and bread crumbs. I mixed this gently with a fork. Form 3 burger patties and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet, or on an indoor grill pan. Place burgers in hot skillet and cook 4-5 minutes per side. Once the burger is close to done on the second side, add the slice of cheese and let it melt. Place your burger in a bun and top with grilled onions.

Ingredients for grilled balsamic onions

• 1/2 large white onion

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions for grilled balsamic onions

Melt butter into olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and let cook until they caramelize, about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Until next time, Kris