American Diner Dinner

One of our favourites - burgers and wedges with all the trimmings (although I do try to keep it as healthy as possible!).

American Diner Dinner

Ingredients

For the potato wedges

4 large floury baking potatoes
8 garlic cloves
olive oil

For the burgers

½ bunch spring onions
1 garlic clove
500g/1lb 2oz lean minced beef
50g/2oz dried natural breadcrumbs
1 tbsp American mustard
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
a few shakes Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
2 sprigs thyme
olive oil

You will also need burger buns or to make it even healthier you could use pitta bread.

Preparation method

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.

Cut each potato in half lengthways and then cut each piece into four or five long wedges. Slam the garlic with the side of a knife to slightly crush. Place both onto a large baking tray, drizzle a good amount of oil over and season with salt and pepper. Toss everything together and then even out into a single layer. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, trim and really finely slice the spring onions, peel and finely chop the garlic and add both to a large bowl. Tip in the minced beef, add the breadcrumbs, American mustard, tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and crack in the egg.

Slide your thumb and forefinger down the thyme sprigs to remove the leaves in one go and add those to the bowl with a good amount of salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Before you get your hands into the mixture, put a good drizzle of oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Then, back to the mixture, squidge it together with your hands until everything is well combined. Then, divide into four equal sized pieces, shape each into a 2½cm/1in thick patty and place on a plate.

Carefully add the burgers to the pan, reduce the heat to medium and leave to fry on the first side for 5-6 minutes.

Give the potatoes a good toss and flip the burgers over when ready. The burgers will need about another 5-8 minutes, depending how you like them cooked.

Split the burger buns open, arrange on a baking tray and put them into the oven for a few minutes to crisp up.

Remove the buns from the oven, buttering them if you fancy. Check your burgers are cooked as you like them and place each one on a burger bun base.
Now for the part where you can add what you fancy on top of the burger, I like to use a slice of cheese, sliced tomatoes, caramalised onions, ketchup and mayo and sometimes even a poached egg on top too and if you can..finish with the burger bun on top, if you have created a huge Scooby snack burger it just won't balance!

Serve with the potato wedges and I also like to add coleslaw (recipe below)

Nigel Slater's classic coleslaw:

Finely shred a quarter of a white cabbage, the same of red, half a sweet onion and a couple of medium carrots. Scatter a little salt over them, then leave them in a colander on a plate. After an hour, discard any juice that may have run out and squeeze the vegetables gently. Make the dressing with 6 tbsp of mayonnaise and 2 tsp of grain mustard. (If you wish to add a spoonful of soured cream or thick yogurt or crème fraîche, do it now.) Add chopped parsley, a dash of lemon juice or vinegar and then any bells and whistles that appeal.




Burger and wedge recipe adapted from a Lorraine Pascale recipe.