What could be more American than a burger and fries? How about a burger made with America's native, once prolific, free roaming bison and locally grown baked gold potato wedges? Add today's trend, turning burgers into bite sized "sliders", and you've got yourself something to. . . well. . . blog about!
I am very excited to discover my local bison farm, Carolina Bison, owned and operated by local physician Dr. King and his family, (advocates of organic farming practices and homeopathic medicine).
Bison meat contains less fat and cholesterol than equivalent portions of beef, turkey, pork, lamb, chicken and even some varieties of fish. The taste is far from gamy, instead subtle and packed with flavor. When you eat meat this high quality, a small amount fully satisfies!
Homemade whole wheat buns, pesto mayo and grainy mustard join in. If everyone could have had a bite of tonight's meal, we may have collectively experienced a moment of world peace!
Bison Sliders:
*1/2 pound fresh ground bison
*1 tbsp minced onion
*1 tsp mustard
*1 clove garlic, minced
*1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
*fresh ground pepper
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl, taking care not to over mix. Heat a large cast iron pan over medium heat. Form bison mixture into small patties (should make about 5) and sear on each side until desired doneness...I recommend medium rare. Remove from heat, and serve with favorite toppings on fresh mini buns-see last paragraph....
Whole Wheat Slider Buns: (makes about 10 buns and 1 loaf of bread as well)
*2 cups lukewarm water
*1 pkg active dry yeast
*1 Tbsp honey
*1 Tbsp salt
*3 cups organic all purpose flour plus more fore kneading
*2-2 1/2 cups organic whole wheat flour
In a large mixing bowl, combine water with yeast and honey. Allow to proof for about 10 minutes. Begin adding flour to the bowl one cup at a time, mixing as you go. Add salt after adding the 5th cup. Turn the sticky dough out onto a generously floured surface. Knead for 15 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding flour as needed.
Place dough in a large clean bowl, coated with olive oil. Cover with a kitchen towel and set in a warm, draft free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down risen dough and divide in half.
Form one half dough into a thick log shape and place in a greased bread pan. Smooth over with flour and lightly score the surface of the bread with a sharp knife. Divide the other half of dough into about 10 pieces, and roll into balls. Coat in flour, divide between 2 lined baking sheets and lightly score surface of each roll. Cover loaf and rolls and allow to rise again for about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 450.
Bake rolls at 450 for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to 375, and bake until golden about 15 more minutes. For loaf, bake at 450 for 15 minutes before reducing heat to 375, and baking until dark gold in color, about 40 minutes.
Slice rolls and smear with pesto mayonnaise (1 Tbsp pesto to 1 Tbsp mayo), shredded lettuce and grainy mustard. Enjoy with baked gold potato wedges and a big salad!
*The buns/rolls can bake first. Leave the oven at 375 afterwards to bake your potatoes. Meanwhile, you can make the burgers, and begin eating right after you put the loaf in. Cool loaf completely
before storing.
What does "slider" mean? Is that another term for "small burger?" I want the buns- bad. My neighbor Rosemoon makes fresh buns and I be drillin that stuff. I rode into Asheville today with my mom and I am sort of stationed at the North Asheville library for a while, on and off. D and H are picking me up for lunch at their house and then I will be back over here. Anyhoo, the "sliders" (which makes me think of swamp turtles) look great, and I am glad you are out there blogging.
ReplyDeleteJust a wee bit less crunchy than swamp turtle! Thanks Dane!
ReplyDeleteI made these last night they were a huge hit! Thank you! I do have to admit I cheated and bought whole wheat dinner rolls from Earth Fare, probably not as wonderful as your home made versions but still wonderful.
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