Classic burger

Serves 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes 

This is another dish you can truly make your own.  Add any of the following: bacon, cheese, tomato, lettuce, mustard, ketchup, crispy onions or, as we do, all of them.

Ingredients
4 burger patties
2 tbsp oil
8 slices of streaky bacon (optional)
4 slices of cheese (applewood is really good), optional
4 burger buns
Gherkins, 4 spears or 16 slices
2 tomatoes, sliced (optional)
Lettuce leaves (optional)
2 tbsps mustard
4 tbsps tomato sauce
4 tbsps crispy shallots (optional) 

Method
It depends on how big your pan is to how many patties you can cook at one time, you don’t want to over fill as the burgers do need space to caramelise.  You can either cook in 1 pan if big enough, in 2 pans at the same time or, heat the oven and cook in batches.

To cook, take a frying pan and put in a tbsp oil, when hot put in the patties and push down with your spatula.  Cook on a medium heat for 3-5 minutes until they are brown and turn, cook again for 3-5 minutes and turn again and top with cheese and cook for a final 3 minutes with the lid on.  Your burger should now be cooked perfectly but if it is not, just carefully cook a little longer.  As this is made of steak that you mince just before you cook, it is fine to be medium rare/pink inside.

If you are having cheeseburgers then for the final 3 minutes, put the cheese on top and put the lid on, this will help the cheese melt and the steam will ensure any cheesy bits on the bottom of the pan will be released.

Toast your bun, put the mustard on the bottom part of the bun then top with the ketchup, gherkins and then the lettuce and tomato if using.  Put the burger patty on top of the sauce, cheese side up and put a tbsp of crispy shallots on the top and top with 2 slices of bacon on each burger and put the lid on.