Beef Burger with Butternut Squash, Sage and Apple
A fall beef burger with roasted butternut squash, crispy sage, maple-caramelized apples, and melted Gruyère.
- Prep
- 20min
- Cook
- 25min
- Total
- 45min
- Serves
- 4
- Calories
- 930per serving, est.
By Time for Burgers, updated
The bottom bun gets a spread of roasted butternut squash mashed with butter, and that changes how the burger eats: soft and sweet underneath, with Gruyère, maple-cooked apple and fried sage on top. Start the squash first. It needs 20 to 25 minutes in a hot oven, and everything else fits into that window.
One skillet handles the rest in order: sage crisped in butter, then apple slices in maple syrup, then a quick wipe before the patties go in. That wipe matters, because leftover maple sugar burns at the higher heat the beef needs.
Beef Burger with Butternut Squash, Sage and Apple
Prep 20 min, cook 25 min, total 45 min. About 930 calories per serving.
timeforburgers.com/recipes/autumn-harvest-burger-butternut-squash-sage
Serves 4.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Toss butternut squash cubes with 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet for 20-25 minutes until tender and caramelized. Mash with ½ oz butter and set aside.
While squash roasts, form ground beef into 4 equal patties, about ¾ inch thick. Season generously with salt and pepper on both sides.
Heat ½ oz butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry sage leaves for 30-45 seconds per side until crispy. Transfer to paper towels and set aside.
In the same skillet, add the sliced apple and 2 tbsp maple syrup. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apple is tender and caramelized. Remove and keep warm.
Wipe the skillet clean, add 1 tbsp olive oil, and heat over medium-high. Cook the burger patties for 4-5 minutes per side, until an instant-read thermometer in the center of a patty reads 160°F (71°C). Add Gruyère slices during the last minute of cooking and cover to melt.
Toast brioche buns cut-side down in the skillet until golden.
Assemble burgers: spread butternut squash mash on bottom buns, add arugula, place cheese-topped patties, layer with caramelized apples and crispy sage leaves, then crown with top buns. Serve right away, while the sage is still crispy.
Tips
- Cut the squash into even 3/4-inch (2 cm) cubes so they finish together, and mash them while still hot. Cold squash mashes lumpy.
- Fry the sage in a single layer and pull it as soon as the bubbling slows. It keeps crisping as it drains but goes limp under a lid or in steam.
- Slice the apple about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. Thinner slices break up in the syrup; thicker ones stay raw in the middle.
- The patties are 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick, so check the center for 160°F (71°C) after 4 minutes per side.
Substitutions
- Sweet potato instead of butternut squash: same roasting time, a little sweeter and denser when mashed.
- Aged white cheddar instead of Gruyère: sharper against the sweet apple, and it melts the same way under a lid.
- Firm Bosc pear instead of apple: watch it closely, since pear softens faster in the syrup.
- Gluten-free: a gluten-free bun works well here, since the squash spread keeps it moist.
Make ahead & storage
Roast and mash the squash up to 3 days ahead and rewarm it before spreading. Cooked patties keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge; reheat to 165°F (74°C). Fry the sage and cook the apples on the day, since both soften in the fridge.
