Few foods are more quintessential to America than the burger. The bread-dressed, meat-packed dish comes in a myriad of forms, from highfalutin and artisan to the greasy and the grilled. Whether your go-to patty is a blend of ground meats, was scorched on a cast iron skillet with minimal seasoning or rests on brioche slathered with vodka-infused kumquat aioli and caramelized onions, the burger’s beauty is in the eye of the its beholder — and its complementing beer.
Burgers hark back to a simpler time in food, when life was as easy as meat between two buns and set next to a frothy pint of something sudsy.
As a gateway into Glacier National Park, Kalispell is no stranger to the great outdoors and its inhabitants take full advantage of the gifts they’ve been given — like the unctuous and delicious gamey local bison. Showcasing nearly a dozen burgers and more than 100 beers, Hop’s Downtown Grill plates up this patty with sizzling aromatic sage, gooey, melted mozzarella and beer from nearby Kalispell Brewing Co. Their Snowslip Stout is an ode to the Montana winters and the beers required to get through them. Bold, roasty and strong with a touch for vanilla, the slightly sweet finish will warm up the coldest day and mingle with the honeyed stout and sage in the patty.
Chargrilled Bison Burger with Smoked Mozzarella and Fried Sage
Recipe by Hop’s Downtown Grill
Makes 4 burgers
Ingredients:
2 pounds ground bison (medium grind if possible)
Freshly cracked pepper and sea salt, to taste
2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed and chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup Kalispell Brewing Co. Snowslip stout
1 cup canola oil, for frying
20-24 fresh sage leaves
8 ounces smoked mozzarella, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup arugula
4 burger buns
Divide burger into 4 8-ounce patties, about an inch thick. Season with salt and pepper, then refrigerate until ready to grill.
In thick-bottomed pan, sauté half of the sliced onions in olive oil for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic and honey and sauté for another minute. Stir in the stout and continue cooking until the liquid is reduced to a glaze.
In a small saucepan, heat 2 inches of oil to 350 °F. Fry the whole sage leaves in two batches for 30 seconds each. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and gently place on a paper towel.
Grill burgers to desired doneness and melt mozzarella on top. Serve on your favorite bun and top with the braised onions and whole fried sage leaves. Serve with slices of the remaining onion, tomato and arugula.
This story originally ran in the spring 2016 print issue of Sip Northwest. For the full story and others like it, click here.
