Homemade Beef Burgers

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 1 hour
Difficulty: easy

Ingredients

500g beef mince
1 small onion, grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 egg
½ cup fresh white breadcrumbs
4 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp cracked pepper
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
olive oil

To serve

4 baps or brioche rolls
4 tbsp mayonnaise
4 tbsp tomato relish
5 slices tasty cheese
2 vine ripened tomatoes, sliced
1 cup of rocket leaves
extra fresh cracked pepper and sea salt.

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat and gently cook the grated onion for a few minutes, stirring continually. Add the crushed garlic and cook gently for a few minutes until translucent.  Remove mixture onto a plate to cool.
2. When the cooked onion and garlic mix has cooled enough to handle, gently mix all ingredients together in a bowl, using your hands to distribute ingredients through. Do not handle the beef too much, as this can make the burgers tough.
3. Separate the mixture into 4 even portions and shape into rounds. Place burgers between two sheets of baking paper and gently press with the palm of your hand to flatten. Using your thumb, make a small indentation in the middle of each burger (this will help it stay flat when cooking). Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
4. Heat olive oil in a grill pan to medium-high heat. Cook burgers 6-8 minutes on each side until cooked through. Avoid moving the burgers or pressing down on them with a spatula while each side is cooking. Remove from pan and rest, covered in foil, while you prepare the rolls.
5. Slice open bread rolls/burger buns. Spread mayonnaise on one half of each roll and tomato relish on the other.  Place a burger on the bottom half of the roll and top with a slice of cheese, sliced tomato and seasoning, and a handful of rocket leaves, before closing with the other half of the roll. You may want to use a small skewer or toothpick to secure the top in place.

Serving suggestions

• Serve with homemade healthy skin-on chips from the Fresh Potatoes recipe database.
• Change the burger flavourings up by adding 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 tbsp grated lemon rind in place of dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
• Exchange the mayonnaise for hummus or pesto dip.
• Swap the tasty cheese for blue cheese and add caramelized onion for a more grown up, gourmet burger.