Something for the weekend: Five of our best burger recipes to make at home
Our most popular burger recipes of all time.
Basic beef burgers
The secret of really good beef burgers is the quality of the mince, it doesn't need to be an expensive cut but it is essential to use freshly minced beef. A small percentage of fat in the mince will make the burgers sweet and juicy – between 20-25%
Servings
4Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
10 minsTotal Time
20 minsCourse
MainIngredients
15g (½ oz) butter or extra virgin olive oil
75g (3oz) onion, finely chopped (optional)
450g (1lb) freshly minced beef — flank, chump, or shin would be perfect
½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
To serve (optional):
burger or brioche buns
lettuce
sliced ripe tomatoes
sliced red onion
crispy bacon
avocado slices or a dollop of guacamole
fried onions
roast or piquillo peppers
kimchi, pickled slaw or pickles
spicy mayo, spicy tomato sauce,
barbecue sauce, hot sauce, bacon jam or relish of your choice
Method
Melt the butter in a saucepan, toss in the onions, if using, cover and sweat over a low heat for 5-6 minutes until soft but not coloured. Set aside to get cold.
Meanwhile, mix the beef mince with the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Then add the cooled onions and mix well. Fry off a tiny bit of the mixture in the pan to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.
With wet hands, shape the mixture into four burgers, or more depending on the size you require. Chill until needed.
Cook to your taste in a little oil in a medium-hot frying or barbecue, turning once. For rare, cook for 2 minutes on each side; for medium, 3 minutes; and for well done, 4 minutes. If you’re cooking the burgers in batches, make sure to wash and dry the pan between batches. Burgers can plump up in the centre while being cooked; to avoid this, make an indentation in the centre of each raw burger with your thumb. Serve with any of the serving suggestions above, or try one of the variations.
Extracted from How to Cook: The 100 Essential Recipes Everyone Should Know by Darina Allen (Kyle)
Smash Burgers with crispy onion rings and chunky chips
There are few things more satisfying than a really good burger, especially if served with great side
Servings
4Preparation Time
30 minsCooking Time
30 minsTotal Time
60 minsCourse
MainIngredients
For the burgers:
500g minced Irish Angus steak
1 tsp flaky sea slat
1tsp onion salt
A good grind of fresh black pepper
4 brioche burger buns
Vintage Irish cheddar cheese
Little gem or iceberg lettuce
Fresh onion, thinly sliced
Ketchup, to serve
For the onion rings:
2 large white onions
500ml buttermilk
150g plain flour
1 tsp fine sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 litre sunflower oil for frying
For the chunky oven chips:
6-8 medium sized rooster potatoes
2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
1-2 tbsp fine polenta
Method
In a bowl, combine the beef, salt, pepper, and onion salt. Just use hands to mix it thoroughly, it will only take a minute. Do not over work it, you just want to mix the seasoning through the meat. Divide the burger meat into eight portions, each about 60-65g in weight. Roll each into a ball, place them on a plate and chill in the fridge for about thirty minutes.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunky chips. Blanch the chips in a pan of salted boiling water for three minutes, then drain into a colander. Leave them in the colander for a few minutes to let any excess water evaporate. Pop them back in the pan, add the oil and polenta and toss to coat the chips. Cook them in an air fryer at 200°C for twenty-five to thirty minutes, tossing them a few times to make sure they cook evenly. If you are cooking them in the oven, lay them out in a single layer on a baking tray roast them at the same temperature for about same time, turning them over halfway though. When they are golden and crispy, you will know they are done.
Peel and slice the onions. Place them in a bowl and pour over the buttermilk. Toss the onions in the milk, and let them sit for fifteen minutes. Mix the flour, salt, and pepper together on a plate or a bowl and, when they are ready, take the onions from the buttermilk and toss them in the flour. Do this a few at a time or the flour will get too sticky to coat the onions. As you coat each batch of onions, place them in a single layer on a baking tray.
When you have about fifteen minutes to go before your chips are done, start to cook the burgers and onion rings. Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a high heat. Heat the oil to fry your onion rings to 180°C. Lightly toast your burger buns, I usually do this by popping them in the oven for a few minutes. Wash a few leaves of lettuce per burger, thinly slice some onion, slice the tomato, and cut enough thin slices of cheddar to top each patty. When the frying pan is very hot, put on the burger meat. Using a spatula, smash or press each ball into a patty. Cook on high heat for three minutes, and then turn them over. Do not press the burgers again or turn them more than once or you will press out all the juices and flavour. When you flip the patties over, layer some cheese over each and cook them for another minute.
While your burgers are cooking, fry the onion rings. You will need to do this in batches, cooking about a quarter each time. Drop them carefully into the hot oil and fry for a few minutes until crisp and golden. Drain them on a wire rack over a baking tray or on some kitchen towel. Make sure the oil stays at 180c, checking before adding each batch of onions.
Put some lettuce on the base of each burger bun, add a slice of tomato and then your cooked patties. Top them off with some sliced onion, some pickle if you fancy it and a little ketchup. Serve immediately with the onion rings and chips.
