Buffalo Burger with Portabella Mushroom

It's that time of year where we drag the BBQ out and start to enjoy warmer weather and cold beer. It is also time to re-introduce my buffalo burgers that I created last year.  I first tasted buffalo while on a summer road trip with my girlfriend Maggie Dickey. We drove out to Saskatchewan to see her family and I was introduced to 100's of buffalo by her brother Marshal who raises buffalo. This was the first time I tasted buffalo meat and it is so lean and tasty, that I was looking forward to a burger in my own back yard.  Enjoy with a cold beer.

Recipe Title:  Buffalo Burger with Portabella Mushroom (click here to go directly to my YouTube video of this recipe)

By: Miriam Borys

Ingredients:

Servings: 1

1/2 pound(s) of buffalo ground meat
1/4 cup(s) of Sundried Tomato & Basil PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese
1/4 cup(s) of Herb & Garlic PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese
1/4 cup(s) of mayonnaise
1 tbsp. of grainy mustard
1 'pesto flavor burst' (see recipe below)
1 slice tomato
1 slice white onion
1 slice fresh pineapple
1 Portobello mushroom – stem and spines removed

Cream Cheese Burger sauce: use up leftover little bits of cream cheese
¼ cup sundried tomato PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese
¼ cup herb & garlic PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese
1 tbsp. grainy mustard
¼ cup mayonnaise
Miriam’s original ‘pesto flavor burst’[i] - 1

Prep:

1. Form buffalo meat into 2 thin patties.
2. Cube 2 tbsp. cream cheese
3. Place cubes of cream cheese into the center of 1 pattie and cover it with a second buffalo pattie.
4. Seal edges to prevent the cream cheese from oozing out.
5. Grill on BBQ on medium heat until internal temperature is over 165 degrees.
6. Meanwhile cut 1 thick (1 inch) slices each of fresh pineapple, beefsteak tomato, and white onion.
7. Brush with oil and grill on BBQ until golden brown.
8. Clean Portobello mushroom, removing stem & gills, coat with oil and grill.
9. When buffalo burger reaches an internal temperature over 165 degrees remove from grill.
10. Assemble as you wish or use a burger bun if desired.
11. Top with grilled vegetables and pineapple and cream cheese burger sauce

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[i] Flavor bursts:
In a process combine the following until smooth:
3 cups of cream cheese - plain
1 pound of basil - fresh, washed & trimmed
4 garlic cloves
Scoop into small scoop size and freeze individually. Store in a sealable bag until needed.