I've been taking time off of my day job to catch up on all of the things that I've been neglecting. Which apparently amounts to a full-time job worth of stuff! One of the things that I've been catching up on is putting more effort into this blog. I work in the restaurant industry and just do this on the side. I don't get paid for it. (Actually, I lose quite a substantial amount of money because I refuse to get those obnoxious pop-up ads that all of us love so much!) But, in all of the hubbub that goes into blogging, I've forgotten to go grocery shopping or really... eat in the last two weeks. I'd had this headache that I couldn't quite shake until I realized that I'd been BLOGGING about food, instead of EATING the food. So, I'm devoting this entire day to making Venison Burgers.
Ingredients/Substitutes
I also super don't want to go grocery shopping. My entire goal for the day is to make food without leaving the house. Upon perusing the deep, dark depths of my refrigerator/freezer/pantry, I've come out with smoked limburger cheese. I don't even remember buying this, but I've likely had it about as long as I can reasonably expect sale cheese to last in my refrigerator. It's a soft rind cheese, similar to brie, but with an earthier flavor.
One of the more fun things to do with limburger is to make burgers out of it. Which is entirely within my wheelhouse! I don't tend to cook with a lot of meat, but I was gifted a couple pounds of venison. I debated about whether to post meat recipes because this is a predominantly vegetarian and pescatarian blog. I've come to the conclusion that I want to be supportive of more ethical meat consumption than factory farms and slaughterhouses. I wrote an entire article on What Does "Mostly Vegetarian" Mean & Will I Post Meat Recipes? You can also substitute Salmon Burgers or any vegetarian patty of choice.
I would ordinarily make burgers with tomatoes and lettuce, maybe some tartar sauce. But I don't have everything that I need for that! I do have Dijon mustard in the back of the fridge, a single onion, and a mostly empty bottle of red wine that I've been sitting on for I don't even want to know how long. Luckily, Dijon goes great as a burger topping with red wine caramelized onions. Although burgers are a great recipe to make your own by mixing and matching your own favorite ingredients!
Gallery
Variations of Venison Burgers
I haven't made venison burgers before. I consume very little meat in my everyday life. Occasionally, I'll make salmon burgers, though! They're one of my favorite summer dishes to break out when I want to barbecue. Although burgers are also a great winter treat. You can easily substitute black bean burgers or any burgers of choice.
These Venison Burgers consist of Dijon mustard, butter & red wine caramelized onions, smoked limburger cheese, and homemade brioche rolls. To simplify this recipe, I'd recommend buying rolls and using sliced onions or coleslaw. Although burgers are a great dish to make your own. So, feel free to mix and match your own favorite ingredients! This would also be good with Swiss, pepper Jack, or blue cheese. I would skip the Dijon if you do blue cheese, though! Lettuce and tomatoes are also classics if you're of the more is more persuasion.
2oz.smoked limburgersliced (8 oz. total for 4 patties)
dollopDijon mustart
1/4c.caramelized onions(1 c. total for 4 patties)
Instructions
Prepare Rolls
This recipe utilizes a lot of things that you can make yourself or buy in a pinch. If you want to make everything from scratch, you will need to start a few hours ahead of time!For a quicker recipe, you can always substitute store-bought burger buns or burger patties of choice.
Brioche Rolls are the first thing that you will need to begin to prepare because it will take about 4 1/2 hours to rise and get ready to bake. It will also make 8 rolls, while the salmon patties here are going to make 4 servings. You can easily double the ingredients in the salmon patties to fulfill all 8 burger buns.
Caramelize Onions
Add all of the ingredients to a sauté pan and simmer on low for at least 20 minutes, or until translucent. Make sure to stir occasionally.These can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.
Make Venison Patties
Combine all of the patty ingredients together in a large bowl.
Separate into 4 equal-sized portions and form into round patties, about 1/2 inch thick.
Preheat cast iron skillet on medium-high heat.
Place patties on the preheated skillet and fry until lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes. Carefully flip and repeat on the other side.
After flipping the patty, place sliced limburger on the burger to melt. If you have a lid for your cast iron skillet, it can help to use it now in order to melt the cheese more thoroughly.
Assemble Burgers
Slice the roll in half. Place skillet or directly on the barbecue and toast until golden brown.
Place the roll on a plate. Top with with Dijon mustard.
Add caramelized onions to the top half of the roll.
Add patty to the bottom of the roll.
Serve immediately.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
I ordinarily make burgers on the barbecue, but we're supposed to get about 4-8 inches of snow today! Not that I wouldn't grill in the snow. My porch is covered. But, I'm only going to make half of the burgers right now. So, it's going to be more trouble than it's worth to trek outside. But, grilled burgers are also delicious!
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