I read an interesting article in The Guardian recently that examined all sorts of weird additions that can make a great “gourmet” burger.

To be honest, I think the use of the word “gourmet” in the context of a burger is bit naff, frankly. You don’t want your burger to be gourmet. You just want it to be delicious and satisfy the craving that almost always precedes the eating of one. No?

The recipe below turned out extremely well. I thought it only reasonable that I share it here.

Ready

• 2 lb minced meat (at least 15% fat, chuck mince ideally)
• 1 finely chopped onion (optionally browned in a skillet for extra sweetness)
• 100 ml (a little less that ½ cup) of Guinness (though a good brown ale will work just as well)
• A generous drizzle of olive oil
• 2 Tbs panko flakes (or breadcrumbs)
• Salt and pepper

Set

• Bowl
• Spatula
• Plate

Go

1. Lay the meat out flat and sprinkle over the chopped onions, the breadcrumbs, the beer, olive oil and plenty of seasoning. (You can add some chopped herbs if you fancy… parsley, thyme, that sort of thing.)
2. Work the mixture together without over-doing it.
3. Halve the mixture, and continue to halve until you have 8 clumps (or 12 for the more cautious among us).
4. Work these into flattish patties.
5. As Andrew does in his recipe, put a divot in the middle of each burger to keep them flat during the cooking process.
6. Cover the burgers, and refrigerate for at least an hour before grilling on a pre-heated grill.
7. Three to four minutes a side should do fine for medium rare.