Katie Bryson
Home-made burgers require a bit of effort, but are worth it for the flavour they add to your barbecue spread.
I've added some deliciously sweet caramelised red onion, nuggets of summery mozzerella and chopped parsley to this batch.
I bind the mixture with beaten egg and breadcrumbs to stop them crumbling on the grill. Chilling the burgers before you cook them also helps them keep their shape.
You can buy a simple burger press pretty cheaply if you want your patties to be uniform in size and easy to store.
Beef, caramelised onion and mozzarella burgers
Makes 6
1 knob butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 small red onions, finely chopped
1 tsp brown sugar
500g minced beef
1 ball mozzarella, finely chopped
small handful flat leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
handful fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
1. To make the caramelised onions heat the butter and olive oil in a small frying pan, add the chopped onions, scatter with the sugar and a good pinch of sea salt and cook over a low heat for around 30 minutes until golden, stirring regularly so they don't stick.
2. Remove from heat and pop into a plastic container to cool.
3. Spread the minced beef out on in a large mixing bowl then sprinkle with the chopped mozzarella, herbs and onion. Season well with flakes of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and beaten egg then mix together using your fingers until well combined.
5. Chill for 30 minutes and then either form into 6 balls and press down to form patties by hand or use a burger press.
6. Cut out circles of greaseproof paper and stack up your burgers and chill again for at least another 30 minutes. Alternatively pop in the freezer and store for another day.
Katie Bryson
7. When you're ready, brush the barbecue grill with a little oil to prevent the patties sticking and then cook the burgers. Turning carefully and regularly until evenly cooked - this should take around 15 minutes. If fat is dripping from the burgers and causing flames to flare up, simply move your burgers to the edges of grill.
8. Serve in split seeded rolls with mayo, pesto and slices of beef tomato.
Tip: To prevent the onions drying out during cooking, cut a circle of greaseproof paper the same size as your pan, dampen with water, scrunch up a bit and place over the top of your onions.
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