What we're aiming for:
4 burgers. Multiply up from here
A lovely cheesy sauce to pour over the burgers
Served with a small side dish of tasty sweet potato fries
4 burgers. Multiply up from here
A lovely cheesy sauce to pour over the burgers
Served with a small side dish of tasty sweet potato fries
The Components:
For the burger patty:
For the cheesy sauce:
For the sweet potato fries:
For the rest:
- 400g lean minced beef
- 8 Tuc crackers (you can use any cracker, bread crumbs, or whatever you think might be a reasonable substitute. I like Tucs because they add some salt)
- 1 egg
- 1 large bunch of parsley, well chopped
- 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
For the cheesy sauce:
- 125ml milk (we use almond milk, which is a bit slower to thicken but gets there in the end)
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 15g butter
- 25g grated cheese
- 3 x spicy red finger chili peppers (or jalapeños) - finely chopped
For the sweet potato fries:
- 1 large sweet potato (per two people), peeled and chopped into half inch-thick matchsticks
- 1 egg white, beaten
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- Sea salt and black pepper
- An optional sprinkle of any spicy chilli powder if you like a bit of spice
For the rest:
- 1 sliced tomato
- A few lettuce leaves (we like romaine)
- A few pickled gherkins, chopped lengthways or into circles (based on your preference)
- Red onion, cut into circles
- 4 x Burger buns
- Any condiments you prefer: tomato ketchup, mayo, mustard, Ballymaloe Relish...
The Algorithm:
For the burger patty:
- Blitz the Tuc crackers in a food processor or blender until fine
- Throw all the burger patty ingredients into a large bowl: Get your hands in there and mix it all together
- With wet hands, form four large burger patties
- Place onto a plate, drizzle with a little olive oil then place into the fridge until you are ready to cook
- When you have all the other parts of the meal almost ready (especially the sweet potato fries, they take 30 minutes in the oven and you'll want to serve them hot), and you are ready to cook, place a griddle pan on a high heat until super hot, then reduce to medium
- Cook the four patties - we recommend 3-4 minutes on each side
- Place on a platter to serve!
For the cheesy sauce:
- Pour the milk into a saucepan over a medium heat
- Add the butter and flour
- Whisk it as it boils, until it thickens (with almond milk or similar, you’ll have to heat and whisk for a little longer than with cow's milk)- When it has thickened, add the cheese and the chili peppers
- Stir for an additional minute, then remove from the heat and pour into a bowl to serve
For the sweet potato fries:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Place the matchstick fries into a large bowl and toss with the egg white and 2Tbsp of olive oil
- Sprinkle the curry powder, chilli powder (if using) and the salt and pepper over the fries and toss until coated evenly
- Spread the fries out evenly on the baking sheet so they're not crowded together
- Bake for 20 minutes
- Take out of the oven and flip the fries
- Bake for another 10 minutes or until the fries look nice and crispy (but have a soft centre)
For the burger buns:
- When you are done with the burger patties, pop the buns onto the griddle pan for a minute, to get them nice and charred
Then, bring everything together into a central location and share!
- Blitz the Tuc crackers in a food processor or blender until fine
- Throw all the burger patty ingredients into a large bowl: Get your hands in there and mix it all together
- With wet hands, form four large burger patties
- Place onto a plate, drizzle with a little olive oil then place into the fridge until you are ready to cook
- When you have all the other parts of the meal almost ready (especially the sweet potato fries, they take 30 minutes in the oven and you'll want to serve them hot), and you are ready to cook, place a griddle pan on a high heat until super hot, then reduce to medium
- Cook the four patties - we recommend 3-4 minutes on each side
- Place on a platter to serve!
For the cheesy sauce:
- Pour the milk into a saucepan over a medium heat
- Add the butter and flour
- Whisk it as it boils, until it thickens (with almond milk or similar, you’ll have to heat and whisk for a little longer than with cow's milk)- When it has thickened, add the cheese and the chili peppers
- Stir for an additional minute, then remove from the heat and pour into a bowl to serve
For the sweet potato fries:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Place the matchstick fries into a large bowl and toss with the egg white and 2Tbsp of olive oil
- Sprinkle the curry powder, chilli powder (if using) and the salt and pepper over the fries and toss until coated evenly
- Spread the fries out evenly on the baking sheet so they're not crowded together
- Bake for 20 minutes
- Take out of the oven and flip the fries
- Bake for another 10 minutes or until the fries look nice and crispy (but have a soft centre)
For the burger buns:
- When you are done with the burger patties, pop the buns onto the griddle pan for a minute, to get them nice and charred
Then, bring everything together into a central location and share!
