Poor Man's Beef Wellington

By nannydeb • July 20, 2010 • 7 Comments

⎙

Author Notes: If you love Beef Wellington, but don't want to commit to the time and expense, you'll love this burger! So live a little! - nannydeb

Serves 6

vegetable oil for brushing the grilling racks
1 pound fresh asparagus, washed and trimmed
6 ounces white or crimini mushrooms, cleaned
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons dry white wine (whatever you're drinking at the time)
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 pound ground chuck
1/2 ounce store bought pate (or use aargersi's recipe here on food52)
6 freshly baked croissants, cut in half lengthwise
Dijon mustard
2 cups fresh watercress, rinsed and dried

Prepare a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat and oil the grilling racks.
Combine mushrooms, shallots, white wine, garlic cloves, salt and pepper in a food processor. Jog-blend about 30 seconds or until pureed.
Transfer the mushroom mixture to a large bowl and add the ground chuck. Mix until blended, but don't handle the meat too much (it'll make the patties tough).
Form 6 oblong or oval shaped patties (so that later they fit the croissants!)
Place the patties over direct heat and grill them 5-7 minutes, turning only once.
While the patties are cooking, grill the asparagus for 1 1/2-2 minutes or until slightly charred. Set aside.
Towards the end of cooking, place the croissants on the grill to toast a bit too.
To assemble your masterpiece, spread dijon mustard on the bottom of the toasted croissant and spread a generous amount of pate on the top.
Place a patty on each bottom bun, add a couple of asparagus and a handful of watercress.
Add the top of the croissant and dig in!