I am particular about a lot of things, but I am particularly particular about burgers.
I grew up in the land of Oz, where a ‘true blue’ burger is cow or nothing and comes with lettuce, tomato, onion (fried, not raw) and beetroot. Yes, beetroot. Some add egg, bacon and pineapple and call it The Works, but I find it doesn’t – you can’t pick it up for a start. But you can get messy - I add tomato sauce and mayonnaise and lots of it. Oh, and gherkins too.
A good burger should be big and sloppy and dribble down your arms. It should require a lot of napkins, a lot more than you ever get given. It should be impossible to put down once picked up for you’ll never be able to pick it up again in one piece. And it should not be eaten on a first date.
When I eat burgers out in London I am inevitably disappointed. I know beets are unlikely, but most of the time you're lucky to get a slice of tomato. So I make them at home and until recently I have never deviated from the above, but…
There is a new kid on my block. And it is making an impression.
It happened quite by accident – I would never have gone out of my way to make something new in the burger department – but I had some leftover lamb mince and tzatziki from a mezze feast earlier that week, as well as some crusty rolls that needed using up. My flatmates have halloumi coming out their ears from summer BBQs where many people came with the same idea. And I always have a bit of rocket and red onion in the fridge. It was meant to be.
The only think I needed was a bit of spice and following the Middle Eastern theme I went to Tesco for some harissa. Yes, I know I should have made it myself, but this was a throw together meal, not fine dining. It sure did taste fine though.
As per my recent post on meatballs, I do not use an egg to help bind the mixture. Until recently I used breadcrumbs, but I recently learnt when watching How to Cook Like Heston that even the bread is not really necessary because if you salt the mix enough, and I always like mine to be well seasoned, it will hold together by itself. If you don't use lots of salt, you might like to add a tbsp or two of breadcrumbs to be safe.
Makes 4 burgers, or 3 if you want bigger patties. Serve with chips and/or salad.
Ingredients
For the lamb patties
500g lamb mince
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp all spice
½ tsp cayenne pepper
Small handful mint, finely chopped (or 2 tsp dried mint)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Olive oil, for frying
For the rest
3-4 crusty white rolls or burger buns
250g halloumi
Olive oil, for frying
Handful rocket
6-8 tbsp tzatziki (to taste)
1-2 tbsp harissa (to taste)
½ small red onion, sliced
Method
Mix the mince, cumin, all spice, cayenne pepper, mint, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl – easiest if you use your hands. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and fry a small amount of the mixture to test it; adjust the seasonings as necessary. Form the mince into 3 or 4 patties depending how many burgers you are making. Put to one side.
Slice the halloumi, approx 5mm wide. In another frying pan, heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium heat and add the halloumi. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Take off the heat, but leave in the pan so that you can reheat it quickly before serving.
Meanwhile, reheat the oil in the first frying pan over a high heat, put the patties in and brown on each side for 30 seconds. Turn the heat down to medium and cook for a further 2-3 minutes on each side depending how you like it done.
Slice the buns in half. If they’re fresh, serve them as they are, if they are soft or old, toast them. On the bottom of each bun place a little bit of rocket. On the top of each bun put a tbsp or 2 of tzatziki and a tsp or 2 of harissa, or to taste. Place the cooked patties on the bottom buns, then put a few slices of the halloumi on top (having given them a quick blast over the heat again) and a few slices of red onion.
Serve immediately.
