Plain and simple burgers

In our house there is a constant battle in regards to what can and can't be added to mince meals. Some people, read 'my other half' prefers stuff like burgers and meatballs plain and simple, but where's the fun in that? I have a tendency to hide all sorts of things in mince based food. Mince is such a good vessel for vegetables, chopped or grated. Why not grate carrots or celeriac into a meatball or burger mixture? Finely chopped capers or mushrooms make a lovely addition and there are so many other things that I could play with, given free hands. No, he said. Let's keep it plain and simple, at least this time. Alright then.

As it turned out, we enjoyed these burgers in the company of guests, who probably preferred the plain variety anyway, so perhaps I should be grateful that I was persuaded to play safe this time. There is nothing worse than having guests over for dinner and they don't like what you serve. As an added bonus, there were actually really nice and there were plenty of trimmings on the table, for everyone to make their own burger fancy.

This time I even added an egg, although I normally don't find it necessary. To be perfectly honest, I'm not really sure why I chose to do it. Perhaps the mince felt a bit dry. I can't remember, because I froze the burgers for a couple of weeks and only just cooked them. Sometimes I add a slosh of wine if the mince needs a bit of extra moisture, but if I wasn't allowed carrots, there would be no wine. It works both ways. Plain means plain.

Anyway, as usual venison mince was my meat of choice, mainly because I had bucket loads of it in the freezer. This batch was from a red deer, beautiful dark red meat and very lean. If you listen to experts, celebrity chefs in particular, they say that you have to add pork fat to venison mince. Have to, they say, as if it is The Law. Sure, venison is lean, but some dishes are ok being almost fat free. A bolognese is perfect when lean, but an Indian queema isn't. Meatballs and burgers are fine left pure, as long as you don't forget the onion and by all means, add an egg if you want to. No pork fat though, really no. It isn't needed and it isn't The Law. Trust me, venison is my main choice of meat and 95% of my minced meals.

To make these plain burgers you need:

mince, your own choice of meat

onion, finely chopped

bread crumbs, I use home made

egg

salt & pepper

1. Put all ingredients in a big bowl.

Feel free to add more seasoning. I was under strict 'plain rules' so I stuck to salt and pepper. Otherwise I'm a fan of paprika and oregano.

2. Mix well, to ensure all ingredients are spread evenly throughout the mince.

I started with a spoon, as I find the slimy texture of raw eggs hard to deal with. Once that was mashed into the mince, I finished the mixing off by hand.

3. Shape the burgers.

I have a fancy burger press, but you can just as easily shape them with your hands. Make them as big or small, fat or thin as you please.

If you are not cooking the burgers straight away, I recommend placing them on pieces of greaseproof paper for storage. If you stack and freeze them like this, they may however get squashed.

This is what I did. I placed the burgers on a tray that fit into the freezer and left them until they were half frozen before stacking them in a freezer bag. They came out perfect when taken out to defrost.

4. Cook the burgers in a little oil in a frying pan or on a bbq. Both methods work well.

I always start with high heat, to seal the surface, before lowering to a medium heat to cook through. Instead of adding more oil, I use a little water if the pan gets too dry and it starts to burn.

5. Serve and eat.

This time I opted for a traditional burger bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber relish, ketchup and mayonnaise. It was beautiful and with a handful of potato wedges, it made a lovely meal.