Mushroom Swiss Burgers

You probably remember, last week I made some crazy awesome Chipotle Bacon Cheeseburgers… Well, the weather is warming up here in Wisconsin, so it’s grilling weather and I have another crazy awesome burger for your viewing pleasure and taste bud enjoyment! While I whole-heartedly believe that nothing is better than a burger smothered and covered in bacon and cheese, I have to say that this one comes in a very delicious second place for me. Perhaps I should add some bacon to it… ;-)
This recipe came about because I was telling my sister Chrissy about my other burger, and she told me that she’s been craving a Hardee’s Mushroom and Swiss Burger like crazy. She asked if I could find a recipe for it, and so it began! We made some more of my Chipotle Bacon Cheeseburgers and we made some of these, which we altered slightly from the original recipe. (Imagine that! :-P) And, of course, Hardee’s doesn’t serve their burgers on ciabatta rolls, but they’re so good and hold up to the burger and toppings so well that we couldn’t resist. If you’ve never had ciabatta bread, I strongly urge you to find some or make some… It’s this deliciously chewy bread that is just so yummy I can’t even describe its awesomeness. I’m lucky enough to live near a fairly large city where I can find stuff like this – one of my local grocery stores not only carries ciabatta bread, but ciabatta rolls as well. They bake their bread fresh every single day, multiple times during the day, and you can buy the rolls in packages of two or more and they only cost about a dollar for each roll. You can even call them a couple of hours in advance and they will bake them fresh for you before you get there! They really are great for every kind of sandwich, and I like them because they hold up to whatever you throw on them, including a ginormous ½ pound hamburger patty. I think, soon, I might try making some paninis with them… Or a caprese sandwich!
Back to the burgers, though! It’s been a long time since I’ve had one of the Hardee’s varieties, so I can’t attest to whether or not they taste like them, but I CAN tell you that they were extremely delicious! The mushroom sauce had a really wonderful flavor; we liked it so much that we ate the leftover sauce on its own, practically licking the pan. That’s how you know something is good! ;-)

Printable Recipe

2 ciabatta rolls
1 Tbsp. butter
1 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
2 (4 oz.) cans sliced mushrooms
1 (10½ oz.) can Golden Mushroom soup
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. beef bouillon granules
16 oz. ground beef (85% lean)
2 green lettuce leaves
4 slices Swiss cheese

Prepare a gas or charcoal grill to medium heat. Slice the ciabatta rolls in half, horizontally, to make buns for the burgers.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and add the onions. Sauté the onions over medium heat, stirring often, until onions are translucent and cooked through; add the minced garlic during the last minute of cooking and continue sautéing one minute more, just until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the canned mushrooms and allow to heat through. Add the Golden Mushroom soup, Worcestershire sauce, and beef bouillon granules and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and allow the mushroom sauce to simmer and thicken.
Prepare the ground beef into 8 ounce patties, being sure to make them fairly large in diameter so that they will cover the entire ciabatta roll; make a small indent in the middle of each burger before placing on the grill. Sprinkle the patties with a little bit of salt, pepper, and seasoning salt just before placing on the grill and cook to desired doneness. Just before removing the burgers from the grill, place two slices of Swiss cheese on top of each hamburger patty and place the ciabatta rolls on the grill, cut sides down, to toast slightly.
Arrange the lettuce on top of the bottom pieces of the ciabatta rolls. Lay the cheese-covered hamburger patty on top of the lettuce leaf, spooning the mushroom mixture over the top of the burger, and cover with the top of the roll. Yield: 2 large cheeseburgers

Chipotle Bacon Cheeseburger

I got the idea for this recipe when I started craving the cheeseburger I had when I visited New York many months ago. One of the restaurants that I went to, Cosimo’s, only had one burger on their menu, and it was something very similar to this. It was really very good, and I’ve thought about it several times since then. Finally, I decided that there was no reason I couldn’t make it myself!
The burger that I had at Cosimo’s had a different sauce, which I can’t even remember, and had onions on it. Since I had some leftover chipotle crema, from when I made fish tacos, I decided to use that on my burger instead of trying to remember and concoct a mayonnaise similar to the one they used. And I forgot about the caramelized onions until after my burger was almost gone, so that didn’t make it on my sandwich this time. It didn’t matter, though, because this burger was so good, I didn’t even miss them! In fact, I think that if I had put the onions on, it might’ve been a little too much… The bacon was superb, as always, and the chipotle crema gave it just the right amount of kick and added flavor. As for seasonings, I’m really a purist when it comes to seasoning the actual burger - salt, pepper, and seasoning salt right before placing on the grill.
I had a delightful grilled vegetable medley with the cheeseburger at the restaurant, but I served my burgers tonight with some homemade French fries. My mom had a large crinkle cutter in her kitchen utensils drawer that she never used, so she said I could have it. Ever since then, I’ve been crinkle cutting everything! And, since homemade fries taste so much better than the cardboard junk you buy from the freezer section at the grocery store, I couldn’t resist. It turned out to be a wonderfully tasty dinner!

Printable Recipe

2 ciabatta rolls
16 oz. ground beef (85% lean)
1 (3 oz.) jar real bacon bits, divided in half (recommend Hormel)
4 slices Provolone cheese
2 green lettuce leaves
Chipotle Crema, recipe follows

Prepare a gas or charcoal grill to medium heat. Slice the ciabatta rolls in half, horizontally, to make a bun for the burger.
Prepare the ground beef into 8 ounce patties, being sure to make them fairly large in diameter so that they will cover the entire ciabatta roll; sprinkle the patties with a little bit of salt, pepper, and seasoning salt just before placing on the grill. Grill the hamburgers to desired doneness. When the burgers are almost done cooking, mound one half of the bacon bits on top and spread out to cover the entire burger. Just before removing the burgers from the grill, place two slices of Provolone cheese on top of each burger, covering the bacon bits. When the cheese is slightly melted, press the remaining bacon bits on top.
Arrange the lettuce on top of the bottom piece of the ciabatta roll and spread the chipotle crema on the top piece of the roll. Lay the bacon- and cheese-covered hamburger patty on top of the lettuce leaf and cover with the top of the roll. Yield: 2 large cheeseburgers


Chipotle Crema:
1 c. heavy cream
1 Tbsp. buttermilk
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
¼ tsp. kosher salt

Put the heavy cream in a 16-ounce microwave-safe glass jar; add the buttermilk, stir the mixture, close the jar, and store in a warm place for 24 hours. The cream will have thickened to the consistency of thin yogurt.
Add the chipotle chile and salt and process with an immersion blender, in the jar, until smooth, approximately 20 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to use. Yield: Approximately 1 cup