Grilled Burgers with Roasted Jalapeños and Cherry BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

For the burger meat

½ yellow onion, chopped

1 teaspoon grapeseed oil

5 baby bella mushrooms, chopped

1/8 cup fresh basil, finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 pound ground elk, bison, or turkey meat

Toppings

4 jalapenos, roasted

Cherry BBQ Sauce

Avocado slices

Tomato slices

Red leaf lettuce

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375. Place whole jalapeños in a casserole dish or baking sheet and roast about 15 minutes or until skin is flaying away from flesh and flesh is soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel the skin from the flesh and discard the skin. Cut jalapeños lengthwise, remove the stem and seeds and coarsely chop. Set aside.

In a medium sized skillet, heat the grapeseed (or olive) oil. Sauté onion on medium high heat until translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chopped mushrooms and sauté until the onion and mushroom are dark brown and soft, about 5 to 8 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Fire up the grill to medium high heat. In a mixing bowl, add the ground meat, salt, garlic powder, paprika and basil. Once the sautéed onion and mushroom is cool, add it to the mixing bowl as well and mix everything together using your hands. Form 5 patties out of the meat. Once the grill is hot, place patties on and grill until brown and charred on the first side, about 3 minutes for the elk or bison, 5 minutes for the turkey. Flip and grill an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until meat is brown and has nice grill marks. If using elk or bison, cook to desired “donness.” If using turkey meat, cook all the way through but careful not to over-cook.