By Fern Fisher
Many of my outdoor guide friends in the mid-west and northeast use this recipe, or a recipe quite similar to this one, to share in the bounty of fat-free deer meat found and harvested on our lands across this great country. It’s easy, tasty and healthy.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground venison
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs, adjust with addition of water to mix for proper burger forming consistency
- 1/4 -1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
- 2 tbsp. minced garlic
- ¼ cup tomato ketchup
- 3-4 tsp Olive oil for coating alum foil
- 1 can Campbell’s mushroom soup
- 1 large fresh Portabella mushroom
- 1 fresh sweet pepper, color of your choice
- Salt, Pepper, ground Chives
Mixing ingredients: Add the beaten egg, garlic, sweet onion, ketchup, a ½ tsp of salt and ½ tsp of black pepper to the ground venison. Add enough water to make the mix pliable, the ingredients will combine to a delicious flavor. Add enough Italian bread crumps to keep mixture from becoming too watery. Form about 4-5 burger patties by hand that are about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.
Poaching – Can use Grill or Oven: Cut some aluminum foil large enough to fold around two burgers so a seam can be made on the top for two burger patties. Coat the area where the burgers will be placed with a few drops of olive oil. Place the burgers. Add one full tablespoon of undiluted Campbell’s mushroom soup to the top of each burger. Top with slices of Portabella mushroom, top with thin slices of sweet onion and thin slices of red, yellow or green pepper. Then close up the aluminum foil making it a bag-like compartment, making the foil almost airtight. Before closing completely, place 3-4 Tbsp. of water inside the folded foil with the burger (for steam).
Place the foiled burger in a 325 degree oven for 15 minutes, or on a grill (low) for 20-25 minutes. The goal is for a finished burger that is done, but not over-done. Remove from heat just when the water you added has been boiling for 2-3 minutes (you can hear it if you’re on the grill).
The foil keeps all the moisture in and allows the meat to cook in its own juices. It’s a mini-pressure cooker! This is easy and if you prepare ahead of time, you can cook 30 – 40 burgers for a small army of visitors all at once.
Add a slice of fresh sweet onion, a fresh leaf of lettuce, a fresh slice of tomato and your favorite topping condiments. My family simply enjoys the flavor without any additional toppings. Another option, of course, is to add a slice of your favorite cheese.
Of course, all of this on a hard roll of your choice, unless you’re watching the carbs.
So good, bet you can’t eat just one, enjoy!