Posie’s Place

Having an 18 week old hasn’t left me much time in the kitchen lately but this is slowly changing. For dinner this evening I turned to one of my favourite cookbooks and one which has featured on this site on a couple of previous occasion, that is The Great Big Burger Book by Jane Murphy and Liz Yeh Singh. I used organic minced beef for added flavour, I really think it makes all the difference.

BURGERS DIANE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 Cup Beef Stock
• 1 Kg Minced Beef (I always use the best possible quality when making burgers)
• 3 Tbsp Green Peppercorns in water, drained
• 1/4 Tsp Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup Minced Shallots
• 1/4 Cup Flat-leaf Parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon
• 1 Tsp Madeira or Port (I used Madeira)

I was only cooking for two so I halved the ingredients and I placed the finished burgers on sesame buns.

PREPARATION

1. Combine the cornstarch, mustard and stock in a small bowl and place to one side.
2. Form the minced beef into patties 1″ thick and set aside (since I was using half the ingredients I only made two burgers).
3. Place the peppercorns onto a shallow plate and crush, mix in the soy and 1 Tsp of the olive oil.
4. Press both sides of the burgers into the peppercorn mixture until they are evenly coated and all the peppercorns are used.
5. Heat 1 Tsp of the olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat and sear half of the burgers on both sides for 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside and repeat with the remaining burgers.
6. Reduce the heat to medium, add the shallots and parsley, stir well. Add the cornstarch mixture, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and madeira, stirring for 1 minute.
7. Pour half the sauce into another frying pan and add burgers previously left to one side. Reduce the heat to low, spooning the simmering sauce over the burgers for a further 3-5 minutes.
8. Serve on sesame burgers along side homemade potato wedges.

HOMEMADE WEDGES

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Medium Baking Potatoes
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Sea Salt

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
2. Pour the olive oil into a large deep ovenproof dish and place into the oven for 5 minutes until the olive oil is very hot.
3. Cut the potatoes in half lengthways and then each half into 4 wedges.
4. Place the wedges into the hot olive oil ensuring all the wedges are evenly coated in the oil.
5. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the wedges are golden, crisp and cooked through.

recipe, food