Beetroot Burger Patties

Every now and then I get a serious craving for a juicy burger. The trouble is, the combo of white wheaty bun, plus cheese, plus red meat, is not a combo that sits well with the digestion. At a certain point I realised that the thing I was really craving was the juicy meat patty, combined with fresh salad (gherkins of course) and lashings of mayo.

So I set out to create a juicy meat patty, that is packed full of veges that help the digestion of the iron in the meat, tastes amazing, and seriously satisfies my craving. Hence this recipe for beetroot burger patties. I usually serve it with a fresh green salad packed with raw veges, as well as a big dollop of mayo or tahini dresssing. In winter I’ll stir fry some green veges to eat on the side. If the burger craving is just too much, buy gluten free burger buns from Venerdi or another alternative bakery and swap out the cheese for mayo.

Beetroot Burger Patties

Makes 6-8 patties

Ingredients:

450g beef mince (premium)

1/2 beetroot, grated

1 courgette, grated

1/2 bunch parsley, chopped finely

1T of olive oil

1 onion

3 cloves of garlic

1tsp cumin

3tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1-2 eggs depending on the consistency of the mixture

Directions:

1. Dice the onion finely and crush the gloves of garlic. Place in a frypan with a glug of olive oil and fry on medium temperature until the onions are translucent (approximately 5 mins later). Take off the heat and add to a mixing bowl.

2. Grate the courgette and the beetroot and then press out the water between two paper towels, so the veges are as dry as possible. Add them to the same mixing bowl.

3. Add the mince , the cumin, the finely chopped parsley, the salt and the pepper to this bowl and mix until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. This recipe calls for a lots of salt, make no mistake. Use a good quality sea salt. Beef needs a lot of salt to bring out the flavour of the meat.

4. Crack two eggs in a bowl and mix them together lightly with a fork. Add as much of this mixture to the rest of the ingredients to get the right consistency for the burger patties. They should be bound but not too soggy, it may be the equivalent of 1 1/2 eggs, but it depends on the water content of your mince and your vegetables.

5. Take approx 1/3 cup of this mixture and pat it into circular burger patties that are around 2cm thick. Continue to make patties until your mixture is finished.

6. Store excess patties in the freezer in ziplock bags with baking paper between them.

7. To cook the patties, heat a fry pan to medium-high heat (around 7/10), add a glug of olive oil or coconut oil, and fry at this temperature, flipping the patty after approximately 4 mins on each side. Take off the heat and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.