How to make your favourite burger.

At the end of my last post I was headed out to SubClub for what I presumed was going to be a fairly standard night out, not so.

Being led to believe we were taking a detour to buy a ticket for my friend Gordon, who didn't have one as of yet, we set off in George Square direction to meet the guy he was buying it from. Little did I know, this was all an elaborate plan everyone was in on excluding me, which became apparent when I noticed my best friend and her boyfriend (who I have not seen since before Christmas) sitting on the steps of the George Square Premier Inn.

......sdfioeirhmtpsfijsdfnh.

Chloe lives in Preston and Jack in Aberdeenshire, which doesn't make seeing them very easy. Them and my amazing boyfriend had been planning this for weeks to surprise me. Amazing, amazing surprise. Also, quite the relief, as Chloe has stopped responding to my Facebook messages to the point where it was slightly concerning..

I have had an amazing weekend, which did consist of an amazing night at SubClub (that much was true) then a lazy catch-up day yesterday. We also ended up in what was maybe the worst pub I have ever been in, enduring a gut-churningly bad karaoke rendition of 'Run' by Snow Patrol, while we drank our one drink as fast as humanly possible (pub in question is pictured above, NOT recommended).
The moral of the story is that I have amazing friends, whom I love very much.
I would also like to say Happy Mother's Day to my lovely Mum Alison, who I can't be with today, which I will be more than making up for with many lovely baked treats when I go home next week, love you Mum.

Today's recipe was cooked last night and as someone who's favourite thing in life is a good burger, I have to say it is one of my favourites so far.
Burgers; cheap, easy to make and (although I am a little biased) often much better than the ones you pay £9.00 for in a restaurant. They are also remarkably healthy if you make them with fresh ingredients.

The ingredients for this make two large burgers and are as follows;

For the Burger -

• 260g of good-quality beef mince (you can use lamb mince if you prefer, and adding a bit of mint to the mixture makes an amazing flavour combination).
• 2 cloves of garlic, grated
• 2 tablespoons of Cheddar cheese, or Parmesan, and more to garnish
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Toppings - 

• Two rolls, whatever kind are your favourite
• Cheese, again to your preference
• 1 small onion, sliced into strips.
• Tomato
• Sauces 

(The toppings are based upon what I used, but can of course be personalised to your taste with whatever variations you fancy/have in the fridge; most things go well on a burger.) 

1. This first step is a bit hands-on, so if you don't like handling raw meat I would suggest using (clean) rubber gloves, or just a spoon, however your hands will always be more thorough. In a bowl combine the mince with the egg, garlic and 2tbsp of cheese until it is evenly mixed through and forms one ball of mince. Note; the 2 cloves of garlic make the burgers quite garlic-y, which I enjoy. If you want a more subtle flavour, opt for just one clove. 
2. Next, half the ball of mince and shape each half into two patties, about an inch thick each. 
   
3. Heat up the oil in a large frying pan, on a medium-high heat. Add the burgers,  spaced apart. They need to fry for about 3-4 mins on each side to begin with. Don't be concerned about how brown they are when you turn them over, they aren't burnt, this is just what happens when cooked in a pan. If you are a bit worried, just turn down the heat a bit. 
   
4. Once they have cooked for 3-4 mins on each side, you just want to keep flipping them until the juice that runs out of them is clear, but they still feel tender on the inside. Of course, you want to cook them to preference; if you like your burger rare then make sure there is still a bit of pink on the inside, if not wait until they are visibly cooked all the way through and firmer to the touch. 
5. During the last 3-4 minutes that your burgers are in the pan, you want to surround them with your sliced up onion. This allows the onion to cook in the juices from the burger and makes them taste amazing. 
   
6. All you have to do now is serve it how you like! With bun, without, with whatever sauces and toppings you prefer, viola! Easy, cheap (if you get mince from Lidl) and amazingly tasty. Definitely hearty fare to recover from a few nights out in a row.

   

   My toppings include cheddar, mayo, tomato sauce, fresh tomato and the lovely meaty onions. 

The only thing which has slightly dampened my amazing weekend has been the ripping of my gorgeous new jacket, which I have to admit was not the best-made garment in the world. I will be returning it and might exchange it for a new one, but for the price I don't feel the quality was high enough. If it rips again I will have to get my money back, sniff. 

Oh well, on the bright side it means I can go internet shopping again, yay! 

I hope you have all had as lovely a weekend as I have and remember, treat your mothers! If you have neglected your duties as a child, any of my previous recipes would make a lovely surprise dinner, or look to the lemon and poppyseed cake recipe for an elegant afternoon tea!