The Healthier Burger

If I told my friends they surely would have laughed.

Me, the king of comfort food, making a healthier burger just sounds wrong. Enough so that I had to ask myself, "Is this a getting older thing or a fear of buying bigger pants thing?" The simple answer: This calorie-deprived concoction actually tastes better.

Surely I have tried every variation of the burger — fried, grilled, broiled, veal, turkey and sirloin. I have even perfected a childhood classic: the pizza burger. Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that the harder you try, the less it tastes like a burger. Instead of being the main attraction, the patty becomes a conduit for the other condiments.

This revelation came about the same time I was introduced to the bison burger craze that has been growing over the past few years. For this home chef, it was time to reinvent the wheel.

It all came together on one shopping trip when I discovered ground bison in the meat section. Around the corner I found a new bun from Arnold called Sandwich Thins. These can best be described as a cross between a regular bun and a pita pocket. They taste great and are only 100 calories. With fresh ingredients in hand, I was set for my new creation.

If you've never tried bison, you should. The meat is leaner and tastes much better than your traditional cow-based meat. How often do the words 'leaner' and 'tastier' ever appear together? Worried that bison may be 'gamey' or have too strong a taste? From the guy who won't eat lamb, venison or duck, I can assure you bison is just a better version of beef.

The first thing I noticed as I was making 1/4-pound patties was that bison does not leave greasy, hard-to-clean gook on your hands. Of course this just means it's truly a low-fat meat. Regardless, I left the burgers out for 30 minutes, as it is never good to cook cold meat. After coating the patties with a little olive oil, I used only kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to season. My goal was to let the bison be the story on my plate and not my spice rack.

Because bison is so lean, it is important not to let the burger dry out. I set the grill to "torch mode" and allow it to get quite hot. My goal is to sear the outside and keep the precious juices on the inside. This means no poking, smooshing or stabbing the patties. I usually let one side grill for 4 minutes, then flip it and grill the other side for another 3 minutes. At the same time, I grill some sliced red onions. When the time is right, I top the burger with the onion and then use a slice of smoked provolone cheese to top it off. The cheese fuses the burger and onion together.

When it comes to plating I try to keep it simple: just my lean bison burger on a toasted low-calorie bun. For texture I add some baby spinach. My fancy version comes with a homemade Russian dressing that takes little time to mix together but adds a touch of sophistication to the burger without overwhelming the taste.

For a colorful and easy side with a healthy twist, just cut some sweet potatoes into fries and bake them for about 30 minutes. Pair that with a creamy lemon-dill sauce and you're set.

Now if I could only learn ways to make my other comfort food creations a little bit healthier.