Stilton Burger with Caramelised Onions

The combination of tangy Stilton cheese with sweet carmelised onions is a topping made in heaven for a big juicy burger. I don't think it really needs  a sauce but we did mix a bit of Dijon mustard with mayonnaise and it went well but you could try a nice chutney instead.

Ingredients:

Burgers
Buns
Onions (1 per person)
Sugar
Stilton cheese


Method:

1. Halve and slice the onions then put them in a frying pan on a medium-low heat with some nice oil, butter or lard of your choice. Stir and cook for 20 minutes then add a pinch of sugar and salt per person and continue to cook until caramalised.
2. Slice the buns in half and lightly toast the insides.
3. Grill your burger until done then top with slices of Stilton and continue to cook until the cheese just begins to soften.
4. Make up your burger with whatever sauce and salad you like and top with the lovely sweet onions.

Special Fried Rice Burger with Cheesy Leeks, a Fried Egg and Gravy

Sometimes you just fancy some deliciously dirty food and this certainly fits the bill. It sounds wrong but tastes so right and I guarantee you will like it as much as Mrs Larry and I did. After the myriad of proper dinners over Christmas a simple plate of honest grub can't be beat, and this uses up leftover leeks in cheese sauce and gravy - although from now on I'll make sure there are plenty of leftovers so we can have this time and time again.

Ingredients:
(serves 2)

1/2lb Beef mince
2x Eggs
2x Cups of cooked rice (long grain or basmati)
4x Cabbage leaves, finely sliced
1x Onion diced (small onion)
1x Large carrot, peeled and diced
4x Rashers of streaky bacon, chopped up
6x Mushrooms, sliced
Any leftover gravy reheated

For the leeks in cheese sauce please see my Venison Shanks recipe from a couple of days ago.


Method:

1. Grab a handful (1/4lb) of mince, season well with salt and pepper then form into a burger with your hands. Don't forget to add a dimple in the middle to stop it swelling into a ball, see here for more info on making The Burger.
2. Cook the burgers in a large frying pan or wok with a splash of oil for about 4 minutes each side. When done place in a warm oven, gas mark 2 will do, and top with cold leftover leeks in cheese sauce.
3. In the same pan now sweat off the diced onion until translucent then add the carrot for a couple of minutes.
4. Now bung in the bacon, mushrooms and cabbage and cook for about 3 minutes.
5. In goes the cooked rice, keep stirring until well heated through.
6. Plate up the rice then in the same frying pan quickly fry your eggs so the bottoms are crispy but the yolks still runny.
7. Get the cheesy leek topped burgers out of the oven and place them on top of the plated rice. On goes the fried egg then drizzle all over your leftover gravy. Pure filth, but so good.

The Burger

It is very easy to buy burgers ready made and just slam them on the barbecue but in this age of meat scandals and unknown additives it can be far safer, cheaper and tastier to make your own, and indeed more satisfying. I've experimented in the past mixing the mince with all sorts of ingredients such as onion, chili, mushroom, rosemary, star anise, the list goes on. Then there are binding agents like breadcrumbs or eggs that people insist on using, or they whiz everything up in a food processor pulverizing everything into a mush. I find the best burgers are simply done by grabbing a handful of good mince (from a butcher), gently forming a patty, put a dimple in the middle, season and coat with oil and barbecue for a few minutes each side. Don't be tempted to move it, don't even touch it! It will come free of the grill when its charred enough and that side is done, then you can turn it over. Please never be tempted to squash the burger, if you do all that lovely juicy flavour will escape and you will end up with a dry, burnt bit of shoe leather.

I've also tried many different toppings and sauces, while they can make for some interesting and different combinations in my humble opinion the best burgers are the simple ones.

Burger Rules:

1. Never over work the mince, just form a simple patty and don't forget the dimple.

2. Always toast the inside of the buns on the grill first.
3. Make a burger sauce out of mayo, ketchup and mustard (English or American). Equal quantities of each is a good start but be careful if using English mustard as it is hotter. I like to add a few chopped capers too but that's up to you.
4. Wash and dry your salad.
5. Don't overcook the burger and don't fiddle with it!

Ingredients:

Mince beef from the butcher
Cheddar cheese, sliced
Iceberg lettuce, leaves torn off
Tomato, sliced
Red onion, sliced
Lemon juice
Mayonnaise
Tomato Ketchup
Mustard, English or American
Capers
Bread buns
Oil
Salt and pepper


Method:

1. Wash and dry the salad.
2. Put the sliced onion in a bowl with a bit of lemon juice and mix through. I find this add's a bit of tang and also softens the intensity of raw onion.
3. Make your burger sauce by mixing the sauces together with some chopped up capers.
4. Cut the buns in half and toast the inside on the hot bbq or grill. Be careful not to burn them! Set aside when done.
5. Grab a handful of mince and form your patty, give it the dimple, season and smear with oil then pop it on the grill, if you have a lid on your barby get it shut. I do mine for about 3 minutes then flip but it depends on the thickness and how done you like them. I have no problem eating them pink if the mince is from a good butcher, in fact I prefer them like that.
6. Flip the burger then after a minute cover with the sliced cheddar and shut that lid again.
7. After about 2 minutes remove from the grill and set aside and allow the burger to rest for a few minutes on a plate. It will release it juices then suck them back up again, and boy do you want those juices.
8. Plate up! I start with lettuce on the bottom, then the burger, topped with the tomato and onion with the sauce spread on the inside of the lid. Tuck in and let that juice dribble down your chin, cant be beat!