Mushroom Recipe Challenge: Bison Sliders with Mushroom & Onion Crumble

And so it comes to this. Unless, of course, I decide to crank out another recipe given the extended deadline.

I love burgers and I love mushrooms (obviously) but something inside told me that it would be a good idea to whip up an appetizer/tailgate recipe for the competition. Frankly, after finishing cooking and trying the end result I wish I had a bison burger contest to enter... these things ROCK!

To be perfectly honest I think the recipe for the mushroom and onion sauce would have been better if I'd remembered to add a little tomato paste. My original concept was to have the topping be a combination of onions, mushrooms, red wine and tomato paste that would result in a ketchup of sorts. Unfortunately, I forgot the tomato paste and had to settle on the resulting saute which I dubbed a "crumble" for lack of a better term.

But it was still pretty darn good. I picked Dried Porcini for this recipe thanks to their earthy, nutty flavor and their ability stand up to long cooking.

Ingredients
1 lb. ground bison
1 egg
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup porcini mushrooms, rough chopped
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup mushroom stock
16 mini buns
Condiments (optional)
Bread & Butter Pickle Chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Reconstitute mushrooms in boiling water to cover for 20 minutes and reserve stock.

Combine ground bison, egg, cheddar, garlic powder, rosemary, 1/4 tsp salt in a bowl. Mix with clean hands and shape into 16 patties about 2-1/4" in diameter on baking sheet. Place in oven and cook for 10 minutes, flipping once halfway through cooking time.

While burgers cook melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onion and season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook about 3 minutes and add mushrooms. Cook until dark, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, add 1/4 cup wine, 1/4 cup stock and deglaze pan. Cook until liquid evaporates. Remove from heat, let cool.

Serve on mini buns and top with condiments and pickles (optional) and approximately 1 tbsp of mushroom & onion mixture.