One thing I struggle hugely with out here in the middle of nowhere is the lack of a decent burger. I’ve tried EVERYWHERE within a 10 mile radius, and none of them compare to the delights you get in London. Our local pub’s offering is passable, especially since they gave up doing those massive huge chips that were basically roast potatoes and went with slimmer chips. They also get points for a homemade tomato relish though it’s a little too spicy for me. Man, I’m difficult to please.
We do at least have a local GBK 7 miles away which is where I turn to for my burger fix, especially as they now do those awesome shoestring fries, but the best local chips I’ve found are thrice cooked and at The Bell and Bear (I’M A CHIP CONNOISSEUR, OK?!)
But I like to have a burger on a whim, and whims are fairly hard to come by when you have two children in nappies. So I’ve learned to make my own delicious burger at home with a healthy accompaniment of vegetable fries. And best of all, you’ll find every ingredient for this in the Co-Op.
These burgers are made extra special thanks to the addition of caramelised onions (see here for a quick recipe) and I buy mature cheddar cheese slices and iceburg lettuce to give them a bit of crunch.
I found the idea for these chips on Pinterest a while ago: vegetable sticks coated in a marinade and oven-baked at a high heat. Sainsbury’s sent me some samples from their new specialty ingredients range a couple of weeks ago so I decided to use their Harissa to give the carrots and courgettes a bit of a kick. My parents-in-law spent a while living in Tunisia and we used to bring home jars of Harissa when we visited but I was pleased to find that Sainsbury’s version is more smokey and less spicy (I’m a wimp when it comes to chilli); I added a dessertspoon full of this to an equal portion of olive oil and honey, tossed the veg and baked for about half an hour. Yummy. And healthy!
- 400g minced beef
- 1 onion, caramelised (optional)
- Breadcrumbs made with 2 slices of white bread
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 egg
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- Bread rolls
- Iceberg lettuce
- Ketchup
- Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
- Form mixture into balls and squash into patties.
- Heat a frying pan to medium-high and cook for approx 4 minutes either side.
- Serve in buns with iceberg lettuce and ketchup.
PS: thanks to Sainsbury’s for kindly sending me samples of their new ingredients… read more about them here!
Yum! I love home made burgers! I put lots of carrot and spinach into mine, after chopping them really fine in a food processor. The kids don’t mind at all :)
Such a good idea! I love hiding veggies in food. Makes me feel all clever.
I love homemade burgers – my secret ingredient is Worcester sauce in them! Yum.
I will be trying this next time!
Oh wow, yummy!
I’m literally salivating.
I am burger-obsessed. Byron, The Diner, Ed’s, Dirty Burger, Honest Burger… love ’em all.
I’m tempted to try to make my own… x
Burgers are literally the food of kings.
I had the same feeling when the burger I crave for is not just from those famous fast-food restaurants. Something like done more with passion, family run, or perhaps a historical or iconic burger joint. If it’s really impossible to go to, good thing there’s always the home made ones. Have your tried imitating the burgers from places featured on TV?