Vermont Burger

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This fall inspired Vermont burger brings together a crisp apple slaw, bacon, cheddar cheese, and real maple syrup for an irresistible, unique date night dinner.

Fall is our favorite time in Vermont. The leaves are changing colors, maple is everywhere (even though maple season is early spring!), it’s time for apple picking, and we get to eat a lot of good food. We’ve been living in this beautiful state for just over 2 years at this point, so we figured it was finally time to show off some of our favorite Vermont flavors, burger style. 

So we brought together the perfect flavor combination of locally grown apples, bacon, Cabot cheddar cheese, and of course, true, Vermont-made, maple syrup. The savory cheddar and bacon, bright apple slaw, and sweet maple combine for a (self proclaimed) award winning flavor.

What This Recipe Entails

• Ready in: 20 minutes
• Serves: 2 people
• Great for: A fall burger night at home. 
• Flavor profile: Savory and sweet with a bright acidic kick. 
• Why we love it: The flavor combination of apple, cheddar, bacon, and maple syrup is a winner. Each ingredient plays really well together and it makes for a fun and unique burger.

Ingredients

• Burger patties – We always make our patties from scratch. We like to control the ingredients and flavor profile. Check out our classic burger patties recipe for what we do. But feel free to make your own, or use store-bought patties.
• Burger buns – We recommend potato buns here. They’re the perfect blend of soft and fluffy while also a little sweet. It mostly stays out of the way, but also compliments the burger really well.
• Cheddar cheese – To make this a true Vermont burger, we have to use Vermont cheese! Our go to is Cabot’s Seriously Sharp Vermont cheddar cheese. We can find it pre-sliced at the store, but that may be because we’re local. But no matter where you  are, find a nice creamy, thick sliced, sharp cheddar for this burger.
• Bacon – Classic bacon works well for this recipe. But if you want a little extra flavor, applewood smoked bacon or maple bacon is the way to go.
• Apple slaw – The slaw is made up of julienned apple, lemon juice, and salt. A crisp, tart apple is best. We’ve been using ruby mac apples that we picked this year, but if I were to use a store-bought apple, granny smith can’t be beat. 
• Maple syrup – Recipes are only as good as their ingredients. And good maple syrup is something not enough people have tried. Large store-brand names have given syrup a bad rap. So do yourself a favor and get a real Vermont maple syrup, you won’t regret it. Butternut Mountain Farm is a good place to start – we’ve had better maple syrup, but Butternut Mountain can be found in most places so we like to recommend it for non-Vermonters.

How To Make Our Vermont Burger

• Make the slaw – Julienne the apple and then toss it with lemon juice and salt.
• Prep the other ingredients – Get out the buns and cheese, cook bacon if it isn’t already, and make sure your maple syrup is ready to go. It’s always important to prep your ingredients before you start cooking. 
• Grill the burgers – We always cook burgers on our trusty grill pan because we don’t currently have a grill. But grill the burger patties however you like until your desired doneness. Add a thick slice of cheese near the end of grilling so it gets perfectly melty.
• Assemble – Bun, patty, bacon, apple slaw, maple syrup, top bun. That’s all there is to it. Oh and serve with a side and a cold Vermont craft beer.

Serving Suggestions

Every burger needs a great side to go with it. So if you’re looking for some inspiration, here are some recommendations:

• Crispy sweet potatoes – Stick with a fall theme and crisp up some sweet potato for an easy and healthy side dish. 
• Spanish fried cauliflower – Don’t let the name fool you, this is really just a way to dip something fried in a ton of garlic aioli. It’s a great alternative to fries if you’re looking to change it up
• And of course, fries, beer battered onion rings, or your favorite potato side dish (our favorite has to be twice baked potatoes) are always winners. 
• A cold beer – We’d be remiss to not recommend enjoying a cold, crisp beer from your local brewery with a homemade burger. Our latest favorite here in Vermont has got to be Bent Hill Brewery where we’ve been enjoying their blonde ale, “Hippies In The Hills”. Unfortunately, you can only get their beer from their brewery, so if you find yourself in central Vermont, check them out.

We hope you give this burger a try and enjoy a little taste of Vermont. Let us know what you think by rating, commenting, and sharing below!

Love this recipe? You may enjoy these fun burger recipes, too:

• Blueberry Lemon Goat Cheese Burger
• Pretzel Pub Burger
• Garlic Aioli Burger
• Pulled Pork Burger