Nothing beats the flavour of a homemade burger, so we thought it would be a great idea to share a recipe with our students that’s easy to prepare and easy on the pocket. Obviously, any burger toppings you choose to add may increase the overall cost of your burger (as well as the size of your waistline), but sometimes you just have to go for it and let your creativity loose in burger town.

 

A very simple recipe to get you going:

We’ve decided to go for a great beef burger recipe, but you can certainly swap a beef patty for a grilled or crumbed chicken breast, or a lamb mince patty. It’s going to come down to personal preference, but here’s a simple beef patty recipe that we’ve adapted from BBC Good Food which we know you will love:

Ingredients:

1 small onion, finely chopped 500g good-quality beef mince
1 egg
1 tbsp. vegetable oil 1tsp. crushed garlic
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce Half a cup of fresh breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil to fry

Other ingredients to make the burger:

4 burger buns

Sliced tomato, mayonnaise, tomato sauce, handful iceberg lettuce, rocket, grated cheese and any other toppings you may enjoy.

Method:

In a mixing bowl, add all your ingredients and combine with your fingers. Once thoroughly combined, roll tennis size balls of mince in your palm and press down into 2 to 3cm thick patties. Ensure that each patty is the same thickness so that they cook evenly all the way through. Place the patties on a tray. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes. This resting period helps the patties to stay together when being cooked (otherwise, they may break-up).

Heat your pan and add some oil for frying. When the oil is hot, add your patties and cook on a medium heat for approximately 5 minutes on each side, depending if you like your burgers done medium. If you want a rarer burger, reduce the cooking time by 1 minute on either side and for a more well-done burger, add a minute or two to each side when cooking. Remove from the heat and leave to rest. Compile your burger by placing your patty on your sliced bun and adding the toppings of your choice. (Best served with fries and a beer or cold drink).

Topping paradise:

So, now that you’ve mastered a very simple and tasty burger patty, compiling fun and creative toppings can make all the difference to your burger experience. We selected just 10 of our favourite burger toppings from an awesome list of ideas – here are our top 10 picks:

1. Chopped bacon, sour cream, chives and grated cheddar cheese
2. BBQ sauce, fried onions, Swiss cheese and bacon bits
3. Guacamole, chopped tomato, chilli and red onion
4. Pesto and parmesan cheese
5. Garlic mayo and caramelised onions
6. Bacon, brie cheese and onion marmalade
7. Wasabi mayo with sliced avocado
8. Fried onions, mushrooms and cheddar cheese
9. Fried egg and bacon
10. Goat’s cheese and cranberry sauce.

So there you have it – a great basic burger recipe topped with all things decadent and full of flavour.  If you have any burger topping ideas, feel free to share them in the comments section below, or Instagram your burger pics and send them to us – we would love to share in your burger bliss.

(Source and image credits: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1514/beef-burgers-learn-to-make; http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/10595/basic+beef+burger; www.menshealth.co.uk; https://za.pinterest.com/pin/201887995769014336/; https://za.pinterest.com/pin/110478997084408115/)