Home-made Burger with Roasted Froots
I decided to make burgers the other day. I was a bit fed up with all the ready meals that we had been having and so decided to make something ‘shop bought’, ie, burgers, and home-made ones, that it. I have made burgers before following Weightwatchers recipe. Being me, I normally cook up something along the lines of the recipes that I come upon.
I add my own twist on this. I roast root vegetables and fruits to give a different taste to the accompaniments. So here you get fruits and root vegetables, hence Froots!! (When one’s life is a bit boring, one has to make it interesting!)
Tips on Buying Minced Meat
A word of caution though. Buy only really fresh minced meat. Do not buy mince that has changed colour – which means it is not fresh. If you want to freeze mince, buy the freshest you can get and divide and freeze it immediately when you get home. Do not leave it for a day or two in the fridge as it goes off quickly.
I made 6 burgers out of this recipe. You can make 4 burgers if you wish. It is just that the burger buns that I normally buy come in a pack of six. I normally freeze half of the buns immediately and the patties once they cooked and cooled. I freeze the froots as well, This way I get 2 meals out of 1 session of cooking. (my Love Food Hate Waste persona taking over).
So here is my recipe for home-made burgers.
Quick Info
Serves: 6
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: £
Time: 10 mins to prep, 20 mins to cook and finish (while the roots are roasting)
Ingredients:
1 pk Burger buns ( 6 buns)
500g Minced turkey, chicken or very lean pork
1 medium Egg
½ Red onion – chopped
2-3 Tbsp Sauce like BBQ or peri-peri or jerk sauce.
1 Tomato – sliced
2-3 leaves Lettuce –washed
Salt
Pepper
For the Froots:
2 medium Roasting potatoes – cut into 6 wedges
½ small Pumpkin or butternut squash- cut into similar size as the potatoes
2 large Cooked beet root – cut as above
1 large Red onions or 2 small ones ( cut into wedges about the size of the potatoes
1 medium Carrot – cut into similar size as above
1 Dessert apple or pear or both, cut into wedges as above
Thyme, rosemary, paprika or other spices and herbs
For the pickle:
½ small Cucumber – cut onto 4 lengthwise, remove seeds and sliced diagonally thinly, about 0.1 cm thick
½ small Carrot – cut as above
Vinegar
Salt
Sugar
Method:
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Heat the oven to 200C or gas Mark 6.
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Spray a roasting tin with oil or line with non-stick baking parchment. Tip the fruits and roots into it and spread in a single layer. If need be, you can roast it in 2 roasting tins. Spray with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with some paprika in one lot and thyme and rosemary in the other lot.
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Roast for about 30 minutes or until the potato is cooked, and a bit coloured. Remove when done.
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Meanwhile, prepare the pickle.
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Put 1 tsp of salt to the carrots and cucumber, mix well, and set aside for about 15-20 minutes.
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Then make the burgers.
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Mix the meat with the chopped onion, egg, and sauce and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
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Divide the meat into 6 equal portions and shape it into rounds and pat it to flatten it a bit. Make the burgers as large as the buns that you have (circumference wise).
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Heat up a frying pan and spray it with oil. Cook the burgers for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Make sure that they thoroughly cooked and not pink. Cook for a few more minutes if necessary. Fry all the burgers.
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Rinse out the salt in the cucumber mixture and squeeze out as much water as possible. Add in a tablespoon of vinegar and ½ tablespoon of sugar. Adjust the vinegar, sugar and salt, if necessary, to your taste. It should be like sweet and sour. Leave it to stand until ready to serve.
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Split the buns (if they are not yet done) and toast under the grill or in a toaster.
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Place the burger on top of the half burger bun. Top with some lettuce and slices of tomato.
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Place the other half of the bun on top.
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Serve with the roasted roots and fruits, pickle and corn on the cob if you have. You can also serve with mayo or ketchup, or sweet chilie sauce.
