Portobella Mushroom Burgers with Shoestring Fries

Tonight's blog post is a new favorite of ours, portobella burgers!  Since the farmers market opened over a month ago, I've made it a point to stop by the local mushroom guy's booth every week and buy some fungus.  Usually it's the oyster / shitake blend, sometimes its the giant portobella caps.  We made these a few weeks ago and sadly didn't take pictures (we do that a lot), and they were so good that we knew we'd be making them again.  The portobellas are nice and meaty and the combination of the dijon mustard, swiss cheese, and avocado is quite tasty!  I suggest anyone who's afraid of mushrooms, or isn't so sure they like them, to try this recipe, it's a guaranteed thumbs up.

We needed a side dish and what better side is there with a burger than french fries?  I've made these a couple times, and I'm a big fan.  They couldn't be easier to make, and are quite tasty with just salt and pepper.  You could go nuts and add all kinds of seasonings to them, but we'll stick to the tried and true recipe here.  The trick is to soak the fries in water before you bake them, it has something to do with the starches and helping them cook better, I don't know, but I know it works!  Hey, I read it in Cook's Illustrated, and I'll believe anything they tell me. ;)

Portobella Mushroom Burgers

Ingredients:
4 or 5 large portobella mushroom caps
4 slices of swiss cheese (or about 3/4 cup shredded swiss)
1/2 avocado (sliced into strips)
dijon mustard
2 kaiser or challah rolls, sliced in half and toasted
canola oil cooking spray
salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium high heat and coat the bottom with a little bit of canola oil cooking spray.  While skillet heats, remove the stems and gills of the mushrooms using a spoon.

Place the portobellas stem side up in the skillet and spray a little cooking spray on each cap, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook for 5-8 minutes (cooking time depends on the thickness of each mushrrom cap) until bottom of mushroom starts to brown and a little liquid starts to collect inside cap of the mushroom.  Flip each cap, spraying with cooking spray, and salt and pepper each.

Cook for another 5-8 minutes until they have browned nicely and shrunk in size.  Top each cap with cheese, evenly divided, turn off the heat and cover the skillet.  Cheese should be melted nicely in 2-3 minutes.

Remove from skillet and place on toasted rolls with dijon mustard and sliced avocado.  Enjoy!  Makes 2 burgers.

Download a printable recipe here!
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Shoestring French Fries

Ingredients:
2 russet potatoes (cut into 1/4" strips using a knife or mandolin)
canola oil cooking spray
salt & pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Cut potatoes into strips and place in a large bowl.  Cover the fries with cold water and let them soak for about 10 minutes.  Drain the water and dry the fries completely on sheets of paper towels.  Place the fries in a single layer on baking sheets that were sprayed with cooking spray. It is important to put them in a single layer and not piled on top of each other.  Spray a little cooking spray on the fries, then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until fries are golden brown.  You can flip them after 20 minutes, but it is not necessary.  Note: You can also make sweet potato french fries, as you can see, but be careful not to overcook them.  They take less time to cook (about 15-20 minutes) and burn easily, so keep your eye on them.

Serves 2.