Suvir Saran's Farro and Mushroom Burgers

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup farro
• 1 pound red potatoes
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound cremini mushroom caps, finely chopped
• 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 to 8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon dry white wine, dry vermouth, or water
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

1. Pour 2 1/4 cups water into a medium saucepan and bring it up to a boil. Stir in the farro, let it come back to a boil, then cover the pan and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook until the grains are tender, about 30 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, loosen the farro with a fork, cover it again, and leave it aside.
2. While the farro is on the stove, cook the potatoes. Fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil, then add the potatoes. When the water boils again, continue cooking until a paring knife slides easily into the middle of the biggest potato, about 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set them aside. When they are cool enough to handle, peel them and put them in a large bowl.
3. Strip the rosemary needles and thyme leaves from their sprigs, then add them to a large frying pan with the butter and black pepper. Set the pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring now and then. When the herbs begin to crackle, after about 1 1/2 minutes, stir in the mushrooms and salt. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have given off their moisture and the pan looks dry again, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the bowl with the potatoes and set it aside.
4. In that same frying pan, warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened and just beginning to color, about 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and stir, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat, then scrape the shallots into the bowl with the potatoes and mushrooms. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the farro, then mash everything together with a potato masher or fork.
5. Shape the mixture into 10 patties. Spread the panko in a shallow dish, then press both sides of each patty into the crumbs so they are coated evenly. Warm 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a clean large frying pan set over medium-high heat. Add 5 patties and cook, turning once, until both sides are well browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer the patties to a plate. Cook the remaining patties the same way, adding more oil between batches if the pan needs it. Serve hot.