Dunn Burgering About!

Spring has arrived, a flourish of foliage appearing on the trees & new growth in the garden.  This is also a time of Spring cleaning & doing all those jobs you wanted to do over the Winter, but it was too soggy & cold.  A little bit of sunshine does everyone the power of good too.  While we were out recently, we decided to have a little treat for lunch – a small cheeseburger & fries.  It was not my finest decision & reminded me of a line in a film – “what’s wrong with this picture?”.  The fries were hot but tasteless (no salt) & the burger was sad, cold & rather flat in every respect.  You could have bounced the bun down the motorway, it was that stale!  On the way home, my Husband suggested we make our own burgers.  Although it’s not my forte, I said “hold my spatula!” & that’s how the delicious Dunn Burger happened (named by my wonderful Husband).

It’s been almost 27 years since I last made a proper beef burger.  My Son was a baby, we had gone fishing for the weekend (aka sunbathing with benefits) & took along some of my homemade meatballs.  Someone suggested we make them into burgers instead & they ended up on the grill next to the trout we had caught.  A little surf & turf barbeque ensued & the rest is history.

Fast forward to today & I’ve recreated my delicious burger with a few supporting acts – homemade buns, crispy baked onion rings & my chunky “Aimée chips”.  It took me a whole afternoon to make everything, but it was definitely worth it & let’s face it, if you’re going to do something, might as well do it properly.  Also, I’m no expert on burgers, this is just the way I do it.

To make it easier for you to recreate this dish, I’ve split everything into three sections: burgers, buns & sides.  Not everyone is going to want the buns or side dishes, so this recipe is just for the beef burgers & I’ve put links to the others at the bottom.

Ready to bake it happen?  Hands washed, aprons on & here we go!

What you need (this makes 4 burgers):

500g Minced Beef (10-15% fat content – if you cut the fat, you cut the flavour)
8 rashers Streaky Smoked Bacon
A little Sea Salt & freshly ground Black Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for extra pepperiness)
25g Salted Butter
50g Grated Cheese (I used Medium Cheddar)

Optional Extras:
Mustard
Ketchup or Relish
Pickles (I used pickled Cornichons & sliced them)
Crisp Iceberg Lettuce, washed & patted dry
Large Tomatoes, sliced

What to do:

Get 5 pieces of greaseproof paper ready for your raw burgers, approx 6 inchs square – one for each burger & one spare.

Divide the beef into four equal pieces & gently shape each one into a ball.  Be careful not to squeeze them too much, otherwise they will be tough & won’t cook properly.

Put each ball onto a square of greaseproof paper & put the spare piece on top.  Press down evenly to flatten out your burger slightly, until about a half an inch thick.  Remove the top square of paper & use your hands to shape the burger into a circle, flattening down any uneven areas gently.  Repeat with the other three burgers.

Wash & dry your hands again, then sprinkle a little sea salt & pepper over each burger, flipping them over & repeating on the other side.

Stack them up with the greaseproof paper still on them, put them on a plate & wrap in clingfilm.  Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to rest, as this will help them hold their shape when you cook them later.

Remove the burgers from the fridge & set them aside while you cook the bacon.  Heat a large frying pan or skillet on a medium heat & add the bacon rashers.  There’s no need to add oil at this stage, you want them to render their fat into the pan.  Do not be afraid of the fat – fat is flavour & this is a treat (you won’t be eating burgers for every meal every day).

Once the bacon has started to get some colour to it, transfer the bacon to a baking tray & cover with foil.

Add half the butter to the frying pan & place your burgers into the pan.  Press each one with a spatula, so they make full contact with the hot surface.

Cook for approximately 4-5 minutes each side.  Now I like my burgers cooked well-done, so if you like them more on the rare side, cook them for less time.  When you flip the burgers, press again for a moment to maintain contact with the pan & if desired, add the rest of the butter.

Once your burgers look gnarly & you’re happy with them, pile up a little cheese on each burger & cover with a large saucepan lid or cake tin for a couple of minutes – this will help to melt the cheese.  If you use a cake tin, remember it will get hot, so use tongs to lift it off your burgers.

When the cheese is melted, they’re ready to serve & it’s time to pack those flavour layers into your bun!

Serve these delicious burgers with a side of chunky chips, crispy baked onion rings & a generous green salad.   Usually, I make a dish of homemade mayonnaise too, just for dunking the chips & onion rings in.

Fabulously flavoursome, this fine burger is a tower of taste. You might need both hands for this one!  Stay hungry!  Aimee 😉 x

PS: Here are the links for the buns & sides:

For the buns – You’d Better Bun-lieve It!

For the side dishes – Sides by Side!

 

 

Sides by Side!

Whether it’s the weekend or Wednesday, a little indulgence is always nice & doesn’t need to be extravagant.  Sometimes it’s the little things that bring the most joy & that includes a plate of satisfying comfort food.

When a delicious main course is centre stage, it usually requires a couple of supporting acts.  All the best ones do – fish & chips, bacon & eggs, spaghetti & meatballs (the list is endless).  Burgers always require a good bun, but they also need some serious sidekicks like crispy coated onion rings & deliciously chunky chips.  These two sides are a well-loved staple in our household & with good reason.

Firstly, the chunky chips (fondly known by our family as Aimée Chips) accompany everything from fish fingers to roast chicken.  They are ridiculously easy & totally faff-free – chop them up & chuck them in the tin kind of cooking.

Secondly, there are crispy light onion rings that literally melt in the mouth.  These oh-so-delicate flavoursome delicacies are perfectly light & crisp, tasting much naughtier than they actually are.  Before you start worrying about chips & onion rings being deep fried or not very healthy, the best bit is … there’s no frying required because they’re all baked!  That also means no hot pans to stand & watch (because nobody has the time for all that).

Ready to bake it happen?  Starting with my Aimée Chips!  Hands washed, aprons on & here we go!

What you need:

6-8 medium Potatoes (nothing fancy, whatever you’ve got is fine)
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Coarse Semolina Flour

What to do:

Pre-heat the oven to 220*C & get a large roasting tin to cook the chips in.

Wash & dry your potatoes well, leaving the skins on.  Cut them into thick wedges.  Don’t worry about them being exact-sized, just make them at least the thickness of your thumb.  Place them all into a roasting tin.

Drizzle well with the olive oil, then dust with a good pinch each of black pepper & sea salt, about a quarter teaspoon.  Tip: if you’re preparing these in advance, do not add the salt until you are ready to cook them.  The salt will make them rock hard & no amount of cooking will soften them up.

Sprinkle the coarse semolina flour over the chips, shaking everything around to coat them thoroughly.  Place each potato wedge skin-side down in the tin (this helps stop them sticking to the tin, as they’re curved & touching less surface area – little bit of science-y stuff there).

Bake in the centre of the oven at 220*C for about 20-25 minutes, giving them a shake half-way through.  When they’re crispy & deeply golden, remove the tin from the oven & place on a rack.  To keep them warm, place another baking tray loosely over the top (leave a gap to allow steam to escape) & then reheat just before serving for about 5 minutes in a hot oven.

Onto those deliciously delectable onion rings!  No frying pan required, just a large baking tray & a little baking magic.  Hands washed & here we go!

What you need:

2-3 large Brown/Spanish Onions
2 large Free Range Eggs
4oz Plain Flour
2 tablespoons Greek or Natural Yoghurt (full fat or 0% fat is fine)
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

What to do:

Pre-heat the oven to 220*C.  Prepare a large baking tray – line with a sheet of greaseproof paper.  I use Bacofoil Non-Stick Baking Paper for this (it’s strong & textured, so stands up to the heat without disintegrating).  You don’t need to use it, but it stops your onion rings from sticking to the tin & means you use less oil.

Prepare your onions – remove the tops & tails, take off the outer papery skins & cut into thick chunky slices.

Pop out the centres, then each inner onion ring, being careful not to break them.  Place them onto a plate or board & set aside.  The tiny chunky centres can be saved for another day – simple chop them into pieces, spread onto a tray & freeze for 10 minutes.  Once frozen, tip them all into an airtight bag & pop back in the freezer – no big lumps of onion this way & no waste!

Tip the flour into a shallow dish & season with a little salt & pepper.  Give it a good stir to mix well.

In another shallow dish, crack the eggs & add the Greek Yoghurt, along with a little salt & pepper again.  Give it a good whisk with a fork to break up the eggs & blend into a thick, gloopy liquid.

Take an onion ring, coating it in the yoghurt & egg mixture all over, inside & out.  Shake off the excess & drop into the flour.  Coat well, again making sure you cover the inside too.  Don’t worry if the flour goes lumpy, that’s fine.  Lift the onion ring out, shake off the excess flour & pop onto the baking tray.

Repeat this until all the onion rings have been dipped & dunked in egg & flour.  Place them all next to each other on the baking tray & don’t worry about them touching too much.

Drizzle olive oil all over the onion rings (don’t bathe it, just a light drizzle is fine) & bake in the centre of the oven for about 12-15 minutes, turning them over halfway through cooking.

Once they’re crispy & bronzed, carefully remove the onion rings from the tray using a fork or tongs & place onto a cooling rack with a bit of greaseproof paper underneath (just in case there are any oily drips).

Remember to pop your chunky chips back in the oven for a few minutes to warm up (remove the baking tray from the top) & that’s it, they’re all done!   

Perfect piled up next to a beautiful burger or simply stacked up as a savoury snack, these crispy baked beauties are delicious sides by side anytime!  Stay hungry!  Aimee 😉 x