PANKO-CRUSTED PORTABELLA MUSHROOM BURGER

Panko-Crusted Portabella Mushroom Burger image

Provided by Jeff Mauro, host of Sandwich King

Time 40m

Yield 4 burgers

Number Of Ingredients 13

Peanut oil, for frying, enough to fill your skillet 1 to 11/2 inches deep
4 round pineapple slices (either fresh or canned), each just over a 1/4-inch thick
Butter, for grilling
4 onion rolls, split, buttered and griddled
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, beaten
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 portobello mushroom caps (about 1 pound), gently cleaned and gills removed
1/2 cup Japanese mayonnaise (or regular if you can't find it)
4 teaspoons teriyaki sauce
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 to 8 leaves red leaf lettuce

Steps:

Heat the peanut oil to 350 degrees F in a large cast-iron skillet.
Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the pineapple slices to get nice grill marks, about 2 minutes per side. Butter and grill the buns as well.
Set up a breading station of flour, eggs and panko seasoned with salt and pepper, in 3 separate shallow dishes. Dredge each mushroom cap in the flour first, then the egg and finally the panko. Fry the breaded mushrooms until golden brown and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack or paper towels.
Whisk together the mayonnaise and teriyaki sauce in a small bowl.
For the sandwich build: Spread some teriyaki mayo on the bottom and top halves of the buns. Top the bottom bun with a pineapple slice, a fried portobello mushroom cap, some onion slices and red lettuce leaf. Oh man!