A Better Burger

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
Salt and pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons tomato paste or finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
Four 3-inch potato rolls, split
1/2 head romaine lettuce, shredded
2 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
3 dill pickles, thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Preheat a grill to medium. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms; season with pepper and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water and cook, turning the mushrooms once, until the water is evaporated. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool; reserve the skillet. Finely chop the mushrooms and transfer to a bowl.

2. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil and the onion to the reserved skillet. Season with pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the onion is tender and golden, about 3 minutes; let cool. Add half of the onion and the ground beef to the mushrooms; season with salt and mix well. Form the mixture into a ball, transfer to a board and cut into 8 portions. Form each into 3- to 4-inch patties.

3. Transfer the remaining onion to a small bowl, then stir in the mayonnaise and tomato paste. Spread the sauce on both faces of the rolls and arrange open-faced on each of 4 plates. Divide half of the lettuce among the roll bottoms.

4. Add the patties to the grill and cook for about 2 minutes. Flip, divide the cheese among the patties, cover with foil and cook until melted, about 1 minute. Stack 2 patties on each roll bottom, top with the pickle slices and remaining lettuce and set the roll tops in place.

Comments:
First off, two burger patties is way too much for one sandwich. Both Adam and I had to take one off in order to even fit it in our mouths. Secondly, the burgers fall apart on the grill really easily. Other than those two issues, this was pretty good. We skipped the lettuce, but otherwise kept things according to the plan. Yes, even the mushroom part.