Direction

1. Open bottle of red wine, measure 1 cup, set aside. Start drinking what remains in the bottle. (All said with sarcasm… or is it?)
2. Divide ground beef into 4 equal parts and form hamburger patties, make sure to read my “tips for a better burger). Stack into a tower (separated by wax paper) or put on a plate in a single layer and put into the freezer. Freezing will congeal the beef together and give you less probability of patty breakage (sounds official, huh?).
3. In a medium skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add sliced shiitake mushrooms, burgundy wine, beef broth and thyme. Coat mushrooms well in sauce and simmer until all liquids are absorbed or evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside. If at any point mushrooms get too dry, add a small amount of wine and put on a stove burner over low heat to re-moisten.
4. Remove hamburger patties from the freezer and season with salt and pepper. Do not over season with salt. It can dry up the natural juices resulting in dry patties.
5. Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Grill the burgers for 2 minutes on each side, then move them to a lower-heat area of the grill. Cook another 2-3 minutes for medium-rare burgers, 3-4 minutes for medium, or 5-6 minutes for well-done burgers. Remove and allow to rest for 3-4 minutes before assembling.
6. Toast Kaiser rolls in the over or toaster if desired.
7. Assemble your gigantic burger! Take one patty, one slice of Swiss cheese, a scoop of caramelized onions and a scoop of shiitake mushrooms to each burger.
8. If you’ve tried this recipe at home, please come back and let us know how it was!