Bison Burger Bowl
I will admit I have taken the traditional female role when it comes to the grill and let my husband handle it, but not any more! The grill should not be intimidating! I’ll be slowly adding more grilled items to the blog this summer along with my notes for how to ensure food is cooked but not burnt.
A good burger night is essential in any family (unless you are vegetarian I guess). A bison burger bowl adds a unique element in the meat, removes the filling bun and keeps all the great parts of a burger. My husband even said he didn’t miss the bun! #success
The smashed potatoes serve as your fries and your bun while the goat cheese and avocado eliminate the need for a boring slice of cheese and sugary ketchup. I personally love pickles so I highly recommend including them in your bowl. Stay tuned for my simple homemade pickle recipe!
Let me know how you bring together your burger bowl in the comments below!
Bison Burger Bowl
Serves 4
1 pound Bison (or ground beef)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
6-8 cups arugula (one container of organic baby arugula)
1 tsp Olive Oil
4 oz log goat cheese
2 TBS sriracha
1 beefsteak tomato
16 small golden potatoes
3 TBS olive oil
1/2 TBS Cajun seasoning
2 large avocadoes (for guacamole but to simplify, just do avocado slices)
1/2 tsp cumin (for guac)
1 tsp minced garlic (for guac)
1/2 tsp salt (for guac)
1/8 cup minced cilantro (for guac)
pickles (optional topping)
Place potatoes in pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Keep on a simmer until potatoes are tender (~15 minutes)
Shape the Bison meat into four even balls.
Using both hands, shape into circular patties about 1/2 in thick
Season both sides of burger with salt, pepper, and garlic powder
Chill in fridge until ready to grill down in step 9
Turn on the grill (to high heat and burn off any remnants of the last grill and clean if needed)
Turn off grill and grease the grill (spray with natural oil or rub on olive oil with a paper towel)
Turn on to low heat with the lid down until the heat gets to about 550 degreesWhile waiting for the grill to preheat, prep the toppings of the burger bowl:
In the food processor, whip goat cheese and sriracha (I prefer Wild Brine) until creamy and spreadable
Preheat oven to 400
Slice tomato
Remove potatoes from boiling water (when tender) and space out on a pan with a non-stick liner or parchment paper
Smash the potatoes down into 1/4 in thick pieces (they will fall apart and that's ok) and brush with olive oil and Cajun seasoning
Place in oven for 20 minutes (until golden and edges are crispy)
Make guacamole by combining avocado, cumin, salt, cilantro and minced garlic. Chill in the fridge until serving
Add burgers to the low heat grill and close the lid (this will take about 10-12 min on low total for Medium burgers)
Try to avoid opening the grill lid as the temperature drops significantly (100 degrees) each time you open it. Monitor it closely as flame ups can occur often during the first few minutes.
After 5 minutes, rotate the burgers a quarter turn
Increase the heat slightly to medium and cook 2 more minutes
Flip the burgers (you should see nice grill marks)
Turn down to med-low / low and continue to cook until done (~6-8 more minutes)
Tips:
Touch the burgers with a finger soon after the flip to get a baseline feeling (this squishy touch is rare)
A medium will give a little when touched but spring back. If you are worried, you can use a meat thermometer to temp the burgers.
Keep in mind that different parts of the grill are different temperatures so keep an eye on all of them
Low and slow will always win so don’t try to speed up this process
Take the burgers off the grill and back inside to rest (it will keep cooking for a few minutes)
Assemble the burger bowls:
Add 1 tsp Olive Oil to the arugula and massage slightly with your hands
Split the arugula into four plates or pasta bowls and add four smashed potatoes on the side
Add the burgers to the top
Drizzle the entire bowl with the goat cheese “dressing”
Add tomato slice, guacamole or avocado slices, pickles and any other burger toppings