THE DARINA ALLEN COLUMN - Best Burgers!

Who better than Darina Allen to share the secret of a delectable burger? Last month we featured a seriously delicious meat-free burger from Ali Honour's terrific cookbook, Beans - but this time the freshest of meat and fish are the stars in these super homemade burgers.

Even though pizzas and burgers vie for top spot on our menus, they are often referred to disparagingly because the quality can be disappointing. Nonetheless, we all know they can be nutritious and delicious, when handmade with really flavourful ingredients, as in the meat and fish recipes below.
Well, it all starts with the quality and freshness of the ingredients. For the best beef burger, buy a piece of well hung chuck or chump or flank from your local butcher, smile sweetly and ask for it to be minced there and then. The secret of delicious succulent burgers is the proportion of juicy fat to lean, aim for at least 20% better still 25% - this proportion will ensure that the burgers remain moist in cooking without being greasy or crumbling apart. A high percentage of lean meat results in dry, dull burgers, despite popular perception and our well-orchestrated fear of fat. [*See list of
Myrtle Allen always liked to add a little finely chopped sweated onion for extra sweetness, but one can just mince top quality meat from a well reared animal and season judiciously, this too results in an irresistible burger. Add various peppers, chilli, smoked paprika, pul biber, Aleppo pepper for extra excitement!
But the accompaniments are also key to the finished dish. It can of course be naked or bunless and let's face it many burger buns are gross and can ruin an otherwise delicious burger. So make a point of buying the best buns from a good baker, or why not make your own. We make an easy recipe given to me years ago by one of my students, Evie Lanitis. (It can be quite therapeutic at a weekend and they freeze perfectly and defrost quickly, particularly if they have been split before freezing.)
For the burger patty, mix and season the mince but, before you shape the burger, fry off a little morsel on a pan, taste and correct the seasoning.
Burgers have come a long way since they were invented, we're not sure by whom... Smash burgers with crisp, lacy, deeply golden brown edges are all the rage, and there are numerous variations on the original. (The smashing maximises the Maillard reaction enhancing the rich and complex flavours that define an exceptional burger.) Try this pork burger too, once again, the fat content is crucially important to the succulence. No point in even bothering if you can't source pork from a well-reared pig. It will cost more, but the end result will hopefully be memorable rather than dull and boring. I like to serve pork burgers with a piquant chimichurri sauce, but even a Bramley apple sauce will cut the richness deliciously, or a few frozen damsons that you may find in the freezer would be good too..

And how about a fish burger with minted peas and tartare sauce. Once again, the fish must be super fresh. You can't imagine how delicious it will be. The version given below is from Julius Roberts’s best selling book, The Farm Table which is widely available, eg from Hodges Figgis or Dubray Books. 

* ORGANIC AND FREE-RANGE PORK AND BEEF PRODUCERS
• Woodside Farm, East Cork - http://www.woodsidefarm.ie/
• Newbard Farm, Lismore, Co. Waterford - https://www.newbardfarm.com/
• Crawford's Farm, Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary – https://crawfordsfarm.ie/
• Wicklow Organic (Kilmacoo Hill Farm) – http://wickloworganic.com/
• Lúnasa Farm, Clarecastle, Co. Clare (pork & beef) – https://lunasafarm.ie/
• Rare Ruminaire, Ballymote, Co. Sligo (beef) - http://www.rareruminare.com/
 

RECIPES TO TRY:

BASIC BEEF BURGERS – Honestly Farm Kitchen Burger
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 the freshly minced beef. A small percentage of fat in the mince will make the burgers sweet and juicy – between 20-25 per cent. One or two tbsp of Worcestershire sauce, ¼ tsp of chili flakes, 1-2 tbsp of sambal oelek, 2 tbsp of fish sauce, 1-2 tsp of ground cumin or coriander can be added according to your taste, but the recipe below gives a delicious basic burger. [*The burger image given here is from Honestly Farm Kitchen  (Carrick-on-Shannon Co Leitrim and Strandhill Co Sligo), where they are made from their own Drumanilra Farm organic Dexter beef.] Serves 4

15g butter or extra virgin olive oil
75g onion, finely chopped (optional)
450g freshly minced beef - flank, chump or shin would be perfect
½ tsp fresh thyme leaves
½ tsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

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 until 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 griddle pan, turning once. For rare, cook for 2 minutes 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 below Serving Suggestions (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
• homemade spicy mayo or spicy tomato sauce,
• barbecue sauce, hot sauce, bacon jam or relish of your choice

RORY O'CONNELL'S GRILLED PORK BURGER with Fennel and Pistachios, served with Apple and Plum or Damson Sauce 
These burgers are sweet and delicious. Belly or shoulder of pork is best here as you are generally guaranteed a decent amount of fat from those two cuts, and fat is essential for a good burger. If the meat you are using is too lean the burgers will be dry, hard and lacking in flavour. The other crucial point to remember for any kind of minced meat dish is that the mince needs to be really fresh, so minced on the same day you are going to cook and eat them. Minced meat deteriorates faster than any other prepared meat, hence freshness is paramount. Aromatic roast fennel seeds work beautifully here as they do with almost any cut of pork and the pistachio nuts add their own magical flavour and texture. Instead of a bap, plain mashed potato is good with them, as is a courgette and marjoram mash. They also sit happily with a tomato stew, a fruit sauce like Bramley apple or the version with plums, given here.
Cook these burgers fully, this is not the time for a rare burger!
Serves 6 as a main course

700g freshly minced streaky or shoulder of pork
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1-2 chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tsp of fennel seeds, roasted and ground
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
40g pistachio nuts, shells removed and coarsely chopped
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mix all of the above ingredients together. Fry a teaspoon of the mixture to check seasoning. Adjust as necessary. Form the mixture into burgers, either 4 large or 8 small, and chill until ready to cook. Heat a heavy grill pan until quite hot. Grease the burgers lightly with olive oil and place on the hot grill to cook. Allow to become golden brown on one side before turning. Control the heat carefully and cook the burgers, turning occasionally until fully cooked through. This takes about 15 minutes, and the burgers will feel firm to the touch. Serve the burgers on hot plates with a fruit sauce, eg Bramley Apple and Plum Sauce, and a vegetable of choice.

Bramley Apple and Plum or Damson Sauce
450g Bramley apples
4 plums or damsons
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp water
Peel, quarter and core the apples. Cut each quarter in half. Place in a small saucepan with the sugar and water. Quarter the plums and remove the stones and add to the apples. Cover the saucepan with a tight fitting lid and cook on a very low heat. The apples and plums will collapse to a frothy fluff. Allow to cool a little and then, if you wish, lift the skins off the pieces of plum – it is not essential to do this. Stir well to mix the apples and the plums and taste and if necessary, add another pinch of sugar.

CRISPY FISH BAPS WITH MINTED PEAS AND TARTARE SAUCE 
This recipe is adapted from The Farm Table by Julius Roberts, published by Ebury Press
Dover or lemon sole work best, but if using a slightly thicker fish, turn the frying heat to 170°C and let the breadcrumbs brown a little more slowly, by which point the fish should be cooked within. Seek out buns that are so fluffy that your fingers leave an impression, keep the tartare sauce quite chunky and fill them to the brim with sweet buttery peas. Serves 4

400g frozen peas
40g butter
1 unwaxed lemon
a bunch of fresh mint leaves, picked and finely chopped
150g plain flour
2 eggs
150g panko breadcrumbs
4 fillets of white fish
enough sunflower for shallow frying
4 baps
Tartare Sauce
250g natural yoghurt or homemade mayo, or use half and half
80g cornichons, coarsely chopped
50g capers, coarsely chopped
1 shallot, finely diced
a bunch of fresh dill (20g) finely chopped (tarragon or chervil may also be used)

First cook the peas: Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and pop in the peas and cook for 4 minutes approx., then drain. Return the peas to the pan and add the butter. Remove from the heat, crush the peas with a potato masher, grate in the zest of the lemon and stir in the mint. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add lemon juice before serving.
Next make the tartare sauce: Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl; taste, adding more cornichons, lemon or herbs or yoghurt to mellow it out – be careful that it's not overly acidic.
Coat the fish fillets: Take three plates or shallow bowls for the flour, egg and panko breadcrumbs. Season the flour with a good pinch of salt and whisk the eggs together.
Take one fillet of fish, coat with flour, shaking off any excess, transfer it to the egg, turn to coat each side. Allow any excess to drip off, then transfer to the panko and turn a few times until well coated. Transfer to a parchment-lined tray and repeat with the remaining fillets.
To cook the fish: Pour some sunflower oil into a high-sided frying pan and place on a medium heat (it should come 7.5cm up the side of the frying pan approx.). The frying temperature should be between 170-180°C, use a thermometer if you have one, or test with a little pinch of panko which should sizzle as soon as it hits the hot oil and turn golden.
Gently place the fillets in the oil – cook in batches, so as to not overload the frying pan which will reduce the internal cooking temperature. Fry until the first side is golden, then gently flip to cook the other side (a couple of minutes). If using a thicker piece of fish, cook at a lower temperature initially, then turn up to brown the panko towards the end. Remove from the oil, transfer to a tray lined with kitchen paper to soak up the excess oil, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt and a grind of freshly ground black pepper.
To serve: While the fish is frying, split the baps and lightly toast or grill. Spoon a generous amount of tartare sauce on the base of each bap, top with the crispy fish, spoon over the peas and finish with another layer of tartare and the top of the bap. Eat immediately.

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