No, this isn’t a rant about Macdonalds – this is my recipe for beef burgers, which I’m only putting here as it’s been in my head for a week or two, and I don’t want to forget it.
I’ve made burgers before, but they’ve always been a mess. Mother-in-law gave us a burger press from Lakeland – the diameter of the patties is a bit too small for the buns I had, but still a very useful gadget, and the firmer, better-shaped burgers were a hit with my children.
Ingredients
- 500g pack of minced beef (I’d normally go organic, but this time I used Waitrose Aberdeen Angus Mince which was inexpensive and tasted good).
- 1 or 2 eggs
- handful of breadcrumbs (I whizz slightly stale bread up in the magimix and freeze it)
- 1 very finely chopped onion
- 1 finely chopped garlic clove
- large teaspoon of mustard (I used French wholegrain)
- small sprinkling of fine mixed herbs (I used dried French ones from a stall in Borough Market)
- few drops of Tabasco sauce
- burger buns
- lashings of Heinz Tomato Ketchup
Put the mince in a bowl and break it up with a fork – you could use your hands but with small children clutching at your apron strings, I get a bit paranoid about handling raw meat. Also, if you use a fork, your children can help.
Crack in the egg (2 if 1 isn’t enough), add 2 or more drops of Tabasco sauce and the mustard. Sprinkle the herbs in. Stir in the onion and garlic. Then gradually add breadcrumbs until the mixture is nice and thick. Scoop into your burger machine, cook for as long or as short a time as you like.
They were a big hit – my Toy Story-obsessed two year-old loved them, the first time I can remember him tucking into anything that contained protein rather than sugar…