Buffalo Burger with Harvest Relish
By Sally James. It’s hard to go back to buying ground meat for making burgers when you’ve started making your own using your meat of choice. You can control the amount of fat, mix meats, add flavours and make the grind as coarse or fine as you like. If I’m going to make a regular burger, I always use buffalo it’s lean, flavoursome and I know it will be grass fed. Just buy the meat of choice, dice and place in a food processor with whatever, using the pulse button to grind as desired.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 3/4 pounds (800g) buffalo, ground
- ⅓ cup macadamias, or nuts of preference diced
- 1 shallot, peeled and diced
- 1 tbsp capers
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 red onion, diced
- ¼ cup macadamia pieces
- 3 plums, peaches or nectarines, diced
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup red wine
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 2-3 tbsp soft goat cheese
- lettuce
- burger rolls, or Ciabatta
DIRECTIONS
- To make the burgers, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate 1 hour, if possible, to allow flavors to develop.
- To make the relish, heat oil in a saucepan and cook the onion and macadamias over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until onion is starting to soften.
- Add the fruit and cook 2-3 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients and cook until liquid is absorbed and relish is thick and glossy. Keep warm or chill for use when needed.
- Preheat barbecue or grill pan and brush with oil. Cook the burgers over a medium to high heat for 6-7 minutes each side or until cooked as desired.
- Spread rolls with goat cheese, top with the lettuce and burger and spoon over the hot or cold relish.