Regular followers will know that I am a fan of Lucas Hollweg's pieces in the Sunday times. This article is a good example of what I like about his approach to cooking.
I have made both the lamb and the pork recipes here, they're not revolutionary but are a really nice spin on the usual burger bun combo.
These will definitely be tried when we get to Vermont. I am thinking about doing a 'take your pick' of Bill Granger's Chicken burgers with slaw, and these three ... oh! and a veggie option I suppose!
Here's the article
Meat in the middle
You can’t beat a proper home-made burger, and it’s all about getting the right ingredients. Now all we need is some sun
There is more to a good burger than just meat. The soft embrace of the bun, the slick of sauce, the crunch of lettuce, the tang of pickle — they all add up to a mouthful that is more than the sum of its parts. But the meat should always be the star. A decent patty makes or breaks the burger experience in a way that the bun or relish rarely does. Good meat is what sets the home-made apart from the high street.
If you’re buying mince, avoid reduced-fat options and lean, expensive cuts such as fillet of beef. For burgers, you want something with a bit of fat — chuck of beef, say, or shoulder of lamb or pork — that will lubricate the meat as it cooks, keeping it supple, yet stopping it from disintegrating on the grill. None of the recipes here contains any egg — they shouldn’t need it.
The best option, of course, is to mince the meat yourself; that way, you know exactly what you’re getting. I’d say to ask your butcher to do it for you, but many aren’t prepared to mince small quantities. If you don’t have a mincer of your own, pulsing the meat in a food processor with a sharp blade will do the job. Go carefully, though, and stop well before the meat turns to mush. You are aiming for a burger, not a doner kebab.
Incidentally, this was originally going to be a barbecue feature, but even to talk of barbies seems naively optimistic this summer. Chances are you will be using a frying pan or stove-top griddle rather than a charcoal grill, so I have left the cooking times deliberately vague.
Pork and fennel burger
Garlic, smoked bacon and paprika give these a hint of chorizo flavour.
Makes 4
For the burgers
400g good pork mince (preferably shoulder) or cubed pork shoulder steaks
100g smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped
½ red onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp fennel seeds, finely ground
Grated zest of 1 lemon
½ tsp sea salt
Black pepper
Sunflower oil, for brushing
To serve
Burger buns
Red pepper mayonnaise (see below)
Shaved fennel (see below)
Rocket leaves
If you’re using bought mince, add the remaining burger ingredients and stir together well. If you are mincing the meat yourself, chill the pork and bacon in the freezer for an hour, then mix with the seasonings. Mince in a mincer or food processor. Wet your hands to shape into burgers, making an indentation in the middle of one side with your thumb to stop them bulging when they cook. Wrap in clingfilm or greaseproof paper and put in the fridge for an hour or so to firm up.
Rub the burgers with oil, and cook in a hot pan or on a barbecue until seared on both sides. Move to a lower heat for a few minutes more, turning occasionally, until cooked through. Try to leave a little juiciness. You don’t want pink pork, but neither do you want it dry and lifeless. When they’re done, rest for a couple of minutes.
Warm the cut sides of the buns over the coals for the last minute or two, then spread the bottom half with a generous dollop of red pepper mayonnaise. Add the burger, then top with fennel, rocket and a blob more mayonnaise before adding the top of the bun.
Red pepper mayonnaise
Serves 4
A small pinch of saffron threads
2 roast and skinned red peppers (from a jar is fine)
1 egg yolk
150ml olive oil (not extra-virgin)
Juice of ¼ lemon
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Pinch of cayenne
Salt and pepper
Put the saffron threads in a small cup and add 1 tsp of hot water. Whizz the peppers in a blender or food processor so they form a smooth purée. Put both to one side. Pour the oil into a jug and place a mixing bowl on a damp dish cloth on the work surface — this will stop it spinning. Put the egg yolk in the bowl and whisk until smooth. Then, whisking constantly, start to add the oil, drop by drop at first, until the mixture starts to thicken. When it does, you can start to pour the oil in a thin stream, still whisking quickly, so it is rapidly incorporated. When you’ve used half the oil, beat in the saffron liquid and the lemon juice, then continue whisking in the rest of the oil. Stir in the pepper purée, the garlic and cayenne until well combined, then season, taste and add more lemon juice if needed.
Shaved fennel
Serves 4
1 bulb of fennel, sliced wafer thin (use a mandolin if you have one)
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt
Combine the fennel and lemon juice, sprinkle with salt and mix again. Leave to stand for 30 minutes so the fennel has a chance to soften. Squeeze out the liquid before using.
A good simple hamburger
A good simple hamburger
Plumply juicy and so tall that you need to open your mouth wide to take a bite, this is about as far from a cheap fast-food burger as it gets.
Makes 4
500g good-quality beef mince or cubed beef chuck, trimmed of hard fat
1 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp smoked paprika
Black pepper
Sunflower oil, for brushing
To serve'
Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced, optional
Burger buns
Sauce gribiche, see below
Tomato, thinly sliced
Lettuce leaves — something with a bit of crunch, such as gem
A few rashers of streaky bacon, fried until crisp, then drained, optional
If you are using bought mince, add the seasonings and mix gently but thoroughly together. If you are mincing the meat yourself, mix it with the seasonings first, then either put it through the coarse blade of a mincer, or cut it into 2cm cubes, then pulse in a food processor with a sharp chopping blade. Do this in two batches, using short bursts and stopping before things turn to mush. It helps if you put the meat in the freezer for an hour or so before it goes into the mixer.
Using wet hands, press the meat together into 4 burgers, each about 2cm thick. You don’t want to squidge the meat too much, so be firm but not violent. Make a slight dent in the centre of one side with your thumb — this will stop the burger from bulging in the middle when you cook it. Wrap in clingfilm or greaseproof paper and put in the fridge for an hour.
Rub the outside of the burgers with a splash of oil. Cook in a hot griddle pan or on a barbecue until seared on the outside but still with a blush of pink in the centre. Remove and leave to rest for 5 minutes under a tent of foil. If you want cheese, add it after you turn the burger, so it starts to soften in the heat. Add the buns to the grill, cut sides down, for the final minute or two to warm through.
Spread the cut sides of the buns with some of the sauce gribiche. Add the burger (with its cheese) to the bottom half, then the bacon, if you want it, and the tomato and lettuce. Top with the remaining half of sauced bun.
Sauce gribiche
Serves 4
1 egg, separated
1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
150ml groundnut or sunflower oil
½ tsp white-wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp finely chopped cornichons
1 tbsp finely chopped small capers
½ small shallot, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon
Drop the egg white into a pan of simmering water and cook for a minute or so until it has solidified. Scoop out and cool, then chop finely and put to one side.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mustard and egg yolk. Put the oil in a jug and place the bowl on a damp dish cloth — this will stop it spinning as you whisk.
Whisking constantly, start to add the oil, drop by drop at first. When the mixture starts to thicken and emulsify, keep whisking and increase the flow of oil to a thin, steady stream. When half the oil has been added, whisk in the vinegar, then continue adding the remaining oil. Season well, then stir in the other ingredients. If you need to keep it for a few hours, cover the surface of the sauce with clingfilm and put it in the fridge.
Spiced lamb burger with carrot and mint tzatziki
Spiced lamb burger
The spicing here is vaguely North African and fragrant rather than hot. The burgers are made all the better by a dollop of yoghurt-based sauce.
Makes 4
For the burgers
500g good lamb mince (not too lean), or cubed lamb shoulder
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1½ tsp mild paprika
1½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground ginger
A good pinch of cayenne pepper
1 handful coriander leaves
Grated zest of 2 small lemons
1 tsp sea salt
Sunflower oil, for brushing
To serve
Burger buns
Carrot and mint tzatziki (see below)
Rocket leaves
Thinly sliced red onion, soaked in cold water until needed
If you are using bought mince, gently stir in the seasonings, making sure everything is well mixed. If you are mincing the meat yourself, chill the lamb in the freezer for an hour, then mix with the other burger ingredients. Mince in a mincer or food processor. Wet your hands and shape the mixture into burgers, pushing a dip in the middle of one side with your thumb to stop them bulging when cooked. Wrap in clingfilm or greaseproof paper and put in the fridge for an hour to firm up.
Rub the burgers lightly with oil and cook in a hot pan or on a barbecue until seared on the outside and just cooked through to the middle, moving them to a lower heat if necessary. Leave to rest for 5 minutes. Add the halved buns to the grill, cut side down, for the final minute or two to warm through.
Put a blob of the tzatziki onto one half of bun and top with a burger. Add a small pile of rocket and red onion, then another dollop of tzatziki, before you press the remaining bit of bun on top.
Carrot and mint tzatziki
Serves 4
2 medium carrots
Salt and pepper
1 tsp white-wine vinegar
250g Greek yoghurt
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small handful of mint, torn
Peel and coarsely grate the carrots. Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and put in a colander for 15 minutes. Squeeze out the moisture and put the carrot in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with the vinegar, then mix into the yoghurt with the garlic, olive oil, mint and more seasoning, being generous with the salt.
I have made both the lamb and the pork recipes here, they're not revolutionary but are a really nice spin on the usual burger bun combo.
These will definitely be tried when we get to Vermont. I am thinking about doing a 'take your pick' of Bill Granger's Chicken burgers with slaw, and these three ... oh! and a veggie option I suppose!
Here's the article
Meat in the middle
You can’t beat a proper home-made burger, and it’s all about getting the right ingredients. Now all we need is some sun
There is more to a good burger than just meat. The soft embrace of the bun, the slick of sauce, the crunch of lettuce, the tang of pickle — they all add up to a mouthful that is more than the sum of its parts. But the meat should always be the star. A decent patty makes or breaks the burger experience in a way that the bun or relish rarely does. Good meat is what sets the home-made apart from the high street.
If you’re buying mince, avoid reduced-fat options and lean, expensive cuts such as fillet of beef. For burgers, you want something with a bit of fat — chuck of beef, say, or shoulder of lamb or pork — that will lubricate the meat as it cooks, keeping it supple, yet stopping it from disintegrating on the grill. None of the recipes here contains any egg — they shouldn’t need it.
The best option, of course, is to mince the meat yourself; that way, you know exactly what you’re getting. I’d say to ask your butcher to do it for you, but many aren’t prepared to mince small quantities. If you don’t have a mincer of your own, pulsing the meat in a food processor with a sharp blade will do the job. Go carefully, though, and stop well before the meat turns to mush. You are aiming for a burger, not a doner kebab.
Incidentally, this was originally going to be a barbecue feature, but even to talk of barbies seems naively optimistic this summer. Chances are you will be using a frying pan or stove-top griddle rather than a charcoal grill, so I have left the cooking times deliberately vague.
Pork and fennel burger
Garlic, smoked bacon and paprika give these a hint of chorizo flavour.
Makes 4
For the burgers
400g good pork mince (preferably shoulder) or cubed pork shoulder steaks
100g smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped
½ red onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp fennel seeds, finely ground
Grated zest of 1 lemon
½ tsp sea salt
Black pepper
Sunflower oil, for brushing
To serve
Burger buns
Red pepper mayonnaise (see below)
Shaved fennel (see below)
Rocket leaves
If you’re using bought mince, add the remaining burger ingredients and stir together well. If you are mincing the meat yourself, chill the pork and bacon in the freezer for an hour, then mix with the seasonings. Mince in a mincer or food processor. Wet your hands to shape into burgers, making an indentation in the middle of one side with your thumb to stop them bulging when they cook. Wrap in clingfilm or greaseproof paper and put in the fridge for an hour or so to firm up.
Rub the burgers with oil, and cook in a hot pan or on a barbecue until seared on both sides. Move to a lower heat for a few minutes more, turning occasionally, until cooked through. Try to leave a little juiciness. You don’t want pink pork, but neither do you want it dry and lifeless. When they’re done, rest for a couple of minutes.
Warm the cut sides of the buns over the coals for the last minute or two, then spread the bottom half with a generous dollop of red pepper mayonnaise. Add the burger, then top with fennel, rocket and a blob more mayonnaise before adding the top of the bun.
Red pepper mayonnaise
Serves 4
A small pinch of saffron threads
2 roast and skinned red peppers (from a jar is fine)
1 egg yolk
150ml olive oil (not extra-virgin)
Juice of ¼ lemon
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Pinch of cayenne
Salt and pepper
Put the saffron threads in a small cup and add 1 tsp of hot water. Whizz the peppers in a blender or food processor so they form a smooth purée. Put both to one side. Pour the oil into a jug and place a mixing bowl on a damp dish cloth on the work surface — this will stop it spinning. Put the egg yolk in the bowl and whisk until smooth. Then, whisking constantly, start to add the oil, drop by drop at first, until the mixture starts to thicken. When it does, you can start to pour the oil in a thin stream, still whisking quickly, so it is rapidly incorporated. When you’ve used half the oil, beat in the saffron liquid and the lemon juice, then continue whisking in the rest of the oil. Stir in the pepper purée, the garlic and cayenne until well combined, then season, taste and add more lemon juice if needed.
Shaved fennel
Serves 4
1 bulb of fennel, sliced wafer thin (use a mandolin if you have one)
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt
Combine the fennel and lemon juice, sprinkle with salt and mix again. Leave to stand for 30 minutes so the fennel has a chance to soften. Squeeze out the liquid before using.
A good simple hamburger
A good simple hamburger
Plumply juicy and so tall that you need to open your mouth wide to take a bite, this is about as far from a cheap fast-food burger as it gets.
Makes 4
500g good-quality beef mince or cubed beef chuck, trimmed of hard fat
1 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp smoked paprika
Black pepper
Sunflower oil, for brushing
To serve'
Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced, optional
Burger buns
Sauce gribiche, see below
Tomato, thinly sliced
Lettuce leaves — something with a bit of crunch, such as gem
A few rashers of streaky bacon, fried until crisp, then drained, optional
If you are using bought mince, add the seasonings and mix gently but thoroughly together. If you are mincing the meat yourself, mix it with the seasonings first, then either put it through the coarse blade of a mincer, or cut it into 2cm cubes, then pulse in a food processor with a sharp chopping blade. Do this in two batches, using short bursts and stopping before things turn to mush. It helps if you put the meat in the freezer for an hour or so before it goes into the mixer.
Using wet hands, press the meat together into 4 burgers, each about 2cm thick. You don’t want to squidge the meat too much, so be firm but not violent. Make a slight dent in the centre of one side with your thumb — this will stop the burger from bulging in the middle when you cook it. Wrap in clingfilm or greaseproof paper and put in the fridge for an hour.
Rub the outside of the burgers with a splash of oil. Cook in a hot griddle pan or on a barbecue until seared on the outside but still with a blush of pink in the centre. Remove and leave to rest for 5 minutes under a tent of foil. If you want cheese, add it after you turn the burger, so it starts to soften in the heat. Add the buns to the grill, cut sides down, for the final minute or two to warm through.
Spread the cut sides of the buns with some of the sauce gribiche. Add the burger (with its cheese) to the bottom half, then the bacon, if you want it, and the tomato and lettuce. Top with the remaining half of sauced bun.
Sauce gribiche
Serves 4
1 egg, separated
1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
150ml groundnut or sunflower oil
½ tsp white-wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp finely chopped cornichons
1 tbsp finely chopped small capers
½ small shallot, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon
Drop the egg white into a pan of simmering water and cook for a minute or so until it has solidified. Scoop out and cool, then chop finely and put to one side.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mustard and egg yolk. Put the oil in a jug and place the bowl on a damp dish cloth — this will stop it spinning as you whisk.
Whisking constantly, start to add the oil, drop by drop at first. When the mixture starts to thicken and emulsify, keep whisking and increase the flow of oil to a thin, steady stream. When half the oil has been added, whisk in the vinegar, then continue adding the remaining oil. Season well, then stir in the other ingredients. If you need to keep it for a few hours, cover the surface of the sauce with clingfilm and put it in the fridge.
Spiced lamb burger with carrot and mint tzatziki
Spiced lamb burger
The spicing here is vaguely North African and fragrant rather than hot. The burgers are made all the better by a dollop of yoghurt-based sauce.
Makes 4
For the burgers
500g good lamb mince (not too lean), or cubed lamb shoulder
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1½ tsp mild paprika
1½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground ginger
A good pinch of cayenne pepper
1 handful coriander leaves
Grated zest of 2 small lemons
1 tsp sea salt
Sunflower oil, for brushing
To serve
Burger buns
Carrot and mint tzatziki (see below)
Rocket leaves
Thinly sliced red onion, soaked in cold water until needed
If you are using bought mince, gently stir in the seasonings, making sure everything is well mixed. If you are mincing the meat yourself, chill the lamb in the freezer for an hour, then mix with the other burger ingredients. Mince in a mincer or food processor. Wet your hands and shape the mixture into burgers, pushing a dip in the middle of one side with your thumb to stop them bulging when cooked. Wrap in clingfilm or greaseproof paper and put in the fridge for an hour to firm up.
Rub the burgers lightly with oil and cook in a hot pan or on a barbecue until seared on the outside and just cooked through to the middle, moving them to a lower heat if necessary. Leave to rest for 5 minutes. Add the halved buns to the grill, cut side down, for the final minute or two to warm through.
Put a blob of the tzatziki onto one half of bun and top with a burger. Add a small pile of rocket and red onion, then another dollop of tzatziki, before you press the remaining bit of bun on top.
Carrot and mint tzatziki
Serves 4
2 medium carrots
Salt and pepper
1 tsp white-wine vinegar
250g Greek yoghurt
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small handful of mint, torn
Peel and coarsely grate the carrots. Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and put in a colander for 15 minutes. Squeeze out the moisture and put the carrot in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with the vinegar, then mix into the yoghurt with the garlic, olive oil, mint and more seasoning, being generous with the salt.
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