Blueberry BBQ Bison Burgers

You have probably learned to bring your own food to gatherings and set it quietly to one side, half expecting someone to ask what is wrong with it. These sliders are not that dish. Purple sauce, golden roasted sweet potato standing in for the bun, a patty that holds together and tastes like something worth serving: put this on the table and skip the explanation.

Bison runs leaner than most beef, and its fat profile includes conjugated linoleic acid, a compound some research links to a healthier inflammatory response, alongside the same omega-3s found in other pasture-raised meats. The blueberries that build the sauce owe their almost-black color to the same anthocyanin family behind blackberries and other deep-colored fruit, compounds several studies associate with lower markers of oxidative stress.

2 trays go in the oven at once, sized to finish together: sweet potato rounds on one, patties on the other. That timing is the whole trick, and once you have done it once, it stops feeling like a project. A bison fed on open pasture, turned into 8 sliders good enough for company, deserves the care it takes to get the timing right.

Ingredients

For the burgers:

• 1 lb ground bison
• 2 TBSP minced onion
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 16 slices white sweet potato, skins on, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick
• Extra virgin olive oil for brushing

For the blueberry BBQ sauce:

• 1 cup blueberries, heaping (frozen or fresh)
• 2 TBSP blackstrap molasses
• 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Optional garnishes:

• Lettuce leaves
• Raw zucchini slices
• Red onion slices

Method

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Arrange the sweet potato rounds on one of the prepared baking sheets in a single layer. Brush both sides generously with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the ground bison with the minced onion, dried thyme, dried basil, sea salt, and garlic powder. Mix gently - overworking ground meat makes it dense. Divide into 8 equal portions and press each into a flat patty roughly the same diameter as your sweet potato rounds. Place on the second lined baking sheet and sprinkle the tops lightly with sea salt.

Place both baking sheets in the oven. The sweet potato rounds will need 25 to 30 minutes, flipped once at the halfway point, until tender and golden at the edges. The bison patties will need 15 to 20 minutes depending on their thickness. Bison is lean and cooks quickly - check for doneness at 15 minutes. Pull them when just cooked through; they dry out if overcooked.

While everything bakes, make the sauce. Combine the blueberries, molasses, apple cider vinegar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally and lightly mashing the berries as they soften, for 10 to 12 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened. It should coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat.

Assemble the sliders: place a sweet potato round on each plate, top with a bison patty, spoon the blueberry sauce over generously, add any garnishes you like, and finish with a second sweet potato round. Serve immediately with extra sauce alongside.

Air fryer variation

The sweet potato rounds air fry beautifully at 380 F for 12 to 15 minutes, flipped once, producing edges that are slightly crisper than oven-baked. Cook the bison patties separately in the air fryer at 375 F for 8 to 10 minutes, checking early since lean bison cooks fast in circulated heat. Make the sauce on the stovetop as above.

*Adapted from Wendi's AIP Kitchen*