There’s something about a summer cookout and bonfire. A few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to have a laid back and casual bonfire for some friends. The Saturday morning before the party I found myself wandering through the farmer’s market hoping to find inspiration in the fresh ingredients. Inspired by discussion with a friend, we headed to the local meat market and decided that we would elevate our burger game. Literally. We chose to do a variety of sliders that incorporated different kinds of meat and game. It was a great night with friends and our inner foodie hearts were delighted as everyone was conversing about which burger was their favorite. Keep reading for the full menu and recipes!
Ingredients:
yields: 16-20 sliders
For the sliders:
- 1 lb buffalo
- 1 lb elk
- 2 lb ground lamb (click here for the full recipe for the lamb burger)
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 20 dinner rolls
Toppings
- Iceberg lettuce
- Arugula
- Feta
- Brie
- Colby
- Cheddar
- Mayo
- Cherry Preserves
- Mango Chutney
- Tzatziki sauce
For the sweet potato fries:
- 6 sweet potatoes
- 2 T olive oil
- salt and pepper
For grilled smoked pineapple dipping sauce:
- 1 medium ripe pineapple
- 1/2 C honey
- A few drops of liquid smoke
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
Prep your meat by seasoning with salt and pepper. For the ground lamb follow the recipe here. Clean your lettuce and prep your toppings. When the burgers come off the grill you will want an organized assembly line of sorts ready to go. Our dinner rolls were rather large, so our sliders were around a quarter pound a piece. Typically sliders are smaller but we also knew we were going to be dividing them into four, creating bites for a large crowd. Portion your meat according to your preferences. Grill until cooked to desired temperature. We preferred a good medium to honor the various flavors of the meat. Remove sliders from the grill and allow meat to rest, redistributing the juices. Here are the ways we decided to top the various sliders. The lamb is topped with mango chutney, feta, arugula, and tzatziki sauce. The elk slider is topped with brie and cherry preserves. For the bison burger we went with colby cheese, mayo, and strips of iceberg lettuce. With the angus we decided to keep the toppings somewhat traditional. We topped the angus burger with strips of iceberg lettuce, a medium Tillamook cheddar, and mayo.
For the sweet potato fries and dipping sauce:
Cut the sweet potatoes into fries. I prefer to keep the skin on the potato. Toss your fries in olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place on a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Flip halfway through cooking. Clean your pineapple and slice into 5-6 1 inch thick rounds. Grill these for 2 minutes on each side or until the pineapple has browned a bit and has grill marks. Take off the grill and bring inside. Rough chop the pineapple and place in a food processor. Add honey and liquid smoke. Pulse a few times until you have a dip consistency. Place in bowl and set to the side. Serve fries immediately from the oven.
This night was so fun for our community and one that will be a treasured memory as I head into summer. Hopefully it will inspire some delicious cookouts and help you reimagine the burger.
And because timelapses are always fun, here’s a timelapse of our night.
timelapse by Jill Grove