Food & Drink 

Advertisement

Be a burger maestro

Forget those greying slabs of fatty gristle that pass for burgers at fast food joints. Once you've sunk your teeth into a fat, juicy, spicy, homemade version, you'll never order another, says Terry Farris. And if the sun shines, you could even get out the barbecue

Take a break from fast-food burger chains and make your own. The sky's the limit when it comes to the different ingredients you can add to make a truly personalised burger. Purists may like to mince the beef themselves, but you will need a special mincing machine - chopping it finely won't produce quite the same texture. Most supermarkets and butchers offer mince with varying percentages of fat. While a certain amount of fat is desirable for taste and texture, minced 'steak' or 'lean mince' produces a firm, well-flavoured burger that browns well and won't shrink in cooking. Whether you grill, fry or barbecue, your homemade creation will win out over the burger bar every time.

Go straight to:

• Classic Barbecue Burgers with Oven Potato Wedges
• Thai Burgers
• Stuffed Mushroom and Blue Cheese Burgers
• Bacon and Avocado Burgers with Mustard and Cress
• Tex-Mex Burgers with Tortilla Chips and Salsa

Classic Barbecue Burgers with Oven Potato Wedges

These can also be cooked on a barbecue or in a frying pan, but watch carefully as the sauce can catch and burn easily.

Serves 4

600g lean minced beef
1 onion, finely chopped
100ml (about 6 1/2 tbsp) bottled barbecue sauce
freshly ground black pepper
4 burger buns
sliced gherkins and iceberg lettuce

For the Oven Potato Wedges

4 medium baking or roasting potatoes
2 tbsp light oil (vegetable or sunflower)
salt and pepper
barbecue sauce or tomato ketchup for serving

1. Place the mince, onion, barbecue sauce and pepper in a large bowl and mix well - the best way to do this is with your hands. Shape into 4 round burgers and chill in the fridge for at least an hour to firm up.
2. For the potato wedges, preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Cut the potatoes lengthways into quarters, leaving the skin on. Brush with oil and lay on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 35-45 minutes until golden.
3. To cook the burgers, preheat the grill to medium and place on a baking sheet or rack. Grill for about 7-8 minutes each side or until the meat is cooked. Quickly toast the buns under the grill, making sure they don't burn. Serve the burgers with gherkins and lettuce with the potato wedges and extra barbecue sauce or ketchup on the side.

RATE IT

Delicious     Digg     reddit     Facebook     StumbleUpon

  Get the latest iVillage news on your desktop    Sign up for more iVillage RSS feeds

© iVillage Limited 2000-2008. All rights reserved. | © iVillage inc. 1995-2008. All rights reserved.
iVillage Ltd is a UK company registered in England & Wales (3837269) at 80-110 New Oxford Street, London WC1 1HB