Hamburger and chips

I have spent quite a lot of time trying to perfect the humble hamburger at home. For me, the goal was to extract maximum flavour from a few simple ingredients, and I think this one is as good a hamburger as you can get anywhere. Although, this is not a quick meal, and you will need to allow about 40 minutes to make 4 hamburgers… but it’s well worth it.

The patty

The first step for maximum flavour is the hamburger patty. I use about 250g of mince for a family 4. In a large bowl I add approximately 1 tablespoon of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce,  1 finely chopped red onion, 1 large handful of bread crumbs, and 1 egg. Mix this really well, and shape the patties. I make two large ones for the adults, and 2 smaller ones for my children. As a time saver for next time, I usually make up about 1 kg of mince, and freeze the extra patties.

The fillings

Next step, is the fillings. This is up to your personal taste, but for me, a hamburger just isn’t right without tomato. I like to slice one tomato thinly, add a tiny bit of sea salt and cracked pepper, and a small drizzle of balsamic vinegar, approximately 1 tablespoon. Set this aside.

Instead of lettuce with mayonnaise, I like to add mashed avocado, pepper, and some finely sliced lettuce mixed together. This is much healthier and tastes better in my opinion. It also holds the lettuce nicely in the burger when eating.

It’s just a simple fact that all great hamburgers need onion. I like to thinly slice 1 red onion, and fry over very low heat for about 20 minutes, until it has caramelised. I add about 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to the fry pan once the onions are cooked, which adds just a tiny bit more flavour.

Cheese is also essential to a great burger… but we’ll get to that soon.

Obviously you can add whatever you like as a filling – sometimes I add gherkins to mine but otherwise I stick to these ingredients listed here. Australians love beetroot on their hamburgers, so you might like to give that a go.

Cooking the burgers

The final, and most important flavour step is cooking the patty. To really dial it up, I recommend a hot grill as the added smokey flavour will really add to your hamburger experience. So weather permitting, I highly recommend you use your BBQ. If not, a hot frypan is still a pretty good option.

Once the patty has been on the grill for about 3 to 4 minutes, flip it over carefully. I like to add about half a teaspoon of American mustard to the top of the burger, and use a brush to spread it over the surface.

After another 2 or 3 minutes, flip the burger again and apply mustard to the other side. Let them cook for another 2 or 3 minutes and use this time to grill you bread/buns. I use Turkish pide bread for this as it adds lots of flavour to the burger.

Lastly, flip the burgers again, and add slices of cheese on top – I prefer cheddar but you can use whatever you like. Once the cheese starts to melt, the burger is ready.

Assemble and eat

Put the avocado and lettuce mixture onto the base of the burger. Spread some tomato relish or tomato sauce onto the lid of the burger. Place the patty with melted cheese on top of the avocado. Add the balsamic onions, sliced tomato, and then place the lid on the burger. I like to serve with a side of chips, but feel free to choose one or more of your favourite sides.

I won’t kid you – this is a big burger and it gets pretty messy. I suggest you do what we do and have a handful of napkins at the ready for when you tuck into this spectacular hamburger. Enjoy!