I had the pleasure of going to the The Northern House to learn more about the Northwest Territories showcase that was happening that night, and of course the food. Just a note, the Northern house does not offer a food menu on a regular basis and just for special events (in case you go wandering in there looking for this delicious bison burger I’m about to write about). Savoury Chef were the caterers for it and they have definitely done their research to make dishes that represent the food from Northwest Territories. Kyle and his team were also nice enough to let me sample all the food and answer all the questions I had. Chef Taryn has been very helpful too with all my questions afterwards. I can’t wait to go to any more events catered by Savoury Chef! It was indeed a great night.
I’ve got to say, this is one of the most beautiful tourism venues I’ve seen here at the olympics. I ended the night making a mental note that I need to visit Canada’s North (Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut) one of these days. The northern lights look beautiful and some of mountain, ice, lake landscapes look breath taking. If you get a chance, do visit the Northern House during the olympics, its just a block away from Waterfront station.
I also met Mikey McBryan from Ice Pilots who informed me that Ice Pilots in Northwest Territories LOVE chicken wings.
Now onwards to the food. On the menu was bison burgers with lotus chips, arctic char graviax, seared cariboo, braised buffalo, and duck terrine. Smoked meats included bison bresaola, muskoxen mipkuzola, venison salami, and house smoked muscovy duck breast. I’m not sure if I was the only one who thought that Northern food meant Bannock over fire but I never did imagine that I’d try all these animals and how good it looked and tasted.
Savoury Chef was kind enough to provide some recipes for us! Here was my favourite dish of the night, Bison Burger with Lotus root chips. I was pleasantly surprised at how good Lotus root makes as chips!
Summary
Preparation Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Servings: 25 mini burgers
Meal type: Main
Recipe Rating: 
Ingredients For Bison Burgers
- 625g Ground Bison
- 1 egg
- 5g chopped parsley
- 1g chopped thyme
- 75g chopped onion
- 5g chopped garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients For Lotus Root Chips
- 1lb of lotus roots
- pinch of five spice powder
- salt
- Canola oil for deep frying
Instructions for Bison Burgers
1. Mix all ingredients for bison burger together.
2. Form 25 balls to make bite sized burgers.
3. Flatten to make patties.
4. Grill until cooked through.
Toppings for Bison Burgers
- 125g of White Cheddar Cheese – Sliced into 25 bite size
- 125g of Caramelized Onion
- 125g of Chef Taryn’s Confiture Collection: Lemon Tomato Brio
1. Mix caramelized onions and Lemon tomato Brio together.
2. Top burgers with cheese and heat in the oven until cheese is melted through.
3. Put a dollop of the onion and tomato jam on top.
4. Put patties inside mini burger buns.
Instructions for Lotus root chips
1. Heat oil in a pot to 325 degrees F
2. Slice lotus root into 1mm slices using a mandoline.
3. Fry lotus root just until golden
4. Drain on paper towel and season with salt and five spice powder while chips are still hot.
Variations
Any toppings that go well on a beef burger goes just as well with bison. For those of you that have not tried bison burgers, you won’t get a chance at the Northern House but the Saskatchewan Pavilion has $8 Bison burgers for the olympics. It’s leaner than beef and not game-meat tasting at all. It is my new favourite red meat!
This recipe will work just as well with beef if you can’t find bison.
Results
The bison burgers were a hit during the reception at the Northern House. Empty plates came back to the kitchen within a few minutes of serving. I really really enjoyed the pairing with the lotus root chips and would recommend this over fries or anything else. If you are able to get Chef Taryn’s Lemon Tomato Brio (Jam), you won’t regret it. Let us know when you cook this!! I’m sure this is going to be on my summer BBQ menu!! Considering how nice and sunny it has been in Vancouver, a summer BBQ might happen very soon!
