I don't know what's going on with the weather in London lately. We had a few weeks of beautiful, sunny weather. The perfect picnic weather everyday. But I have had to pull out the stockings and jumpers this week. Crazy, really. This weather had us thinking that Summer was over, that is until I saw the forecast which is promising blue skies and sunshine. Fingers crossed.
On an extremely high note, today was my last day of work. The 'Summer' holidays have arrived, baby! The best way to kick off the holidays are certainly with 'Friday night burgers!"
I actually made these a couple of weeks ago (hence the really sunny photos with picnicking going on) and froze them for a rainy day. Looking out the window, the rainy day has well and truly arrived!
But enough complaining about this weather. Let's move the topic back to more important things...burger talk.
This is one of my Mum's recipes. When Mum would tell us that it was 'burger night', everyone would get excited. I mean, how could you not get excited about devouring the juiciest, tastiest lamb burgers around? It was always a joy getting to the table and finding a beautiful array of salads and condiments to go with our burgers. Mum had it all, from jalapeños to beetroot, ketchup to chilli sauce, we could get creative and make out own perfect burger creations.
Admittedly, it does get messy, with all those layers stacked on top of the most amazing burger patty, it is bound to. But I believe that the messiest food is quite often the tastiest food. These burgers certainly tick both of those boxes. As Kristian says, "The best way to tackle a burger is to grab it like it owes you money!" Some good advice from an experienced burger consumer.
The use of lamb mince in this recipe adds such flavour and is so moist. Of course, you could substitute the lamb for beef, but the burger may be a little drier.
This really is a great meal for sharing. Make it the next time your friends come around and I am sure they will be impressed (even if things do get a little messy!)
MAKES 6 Burgers
For the burger patties:
600g lamb mince, preferably free range
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
A small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
To serve:
Whatever you enjoy with your burger. Just get everything ready (eg- shred the lettuce, slice the tomato etc) then pop it in the middle of the table and everyone can choose what they want.
To give you some ideas, I generally serve mine on a toasted bun with a choice of:
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Beetroot
- Grated carrot
- Jalapeños
- Pineapple
- Cheese (Tasty or Swiss)
- Fried egg
- Bacon
- Fried onions
- Chutney (I found the most amazing roasted garlic chutney at the Farmer's Market last week- so delicious!)
- Tomato ketchup
- Mayonaise
Place all your ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Using your hands, mix everything together until it is all well combined.
Divide the mince mixture into six equal portions. Flatten each patty out into a round disk, around 2.5cm thick. Set aside on a plate in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
Cook the burger patties on a medium heat in a frying pan, griddle or on the BBQ. It should take around 4-5 minutes each side to cook, depending on what you are using (it generally needs less time on the BBQ). One of the biggest mistakes people make is pressing down on the burger as it cooks- please don't do it! You are squeezing the moisture out of the burger. Just let it cook and flip it once.
Serve the burgers in the middle of the table with toasted rolls and any salad and condiments you desire.