Classic burgers

Jazz up this easy-to-make burger simply by adding different toppings to it such as jalapeños, cheeses, avocado, gherkins, bacon, rocket, iceberg lettuce, chives or pesto. A Thermapen or meat thermometer is great for making sure your meat is cooked to your liking, so this is one gadget I’d really recommend investing in.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 500g/1lb 1oz Aberdeen Angus beef mince
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard or horseradish (optional)
• 30g/1 oz chopped coriander (cilantro) or parsley (optional)
• 1–2 tsp Lucy Bee coconut oil
• Himalayan salt and ground black pepper

Serving options

• 4 gluten-free burger buns or rolls
• 4 slices of cheese
• Mayonnaise (see book page 181)
• Homemade Tomato Ketchup (see book page 181)
• Lettuce
• Thin slices of red onion
• Sliced beef tomato
• Jalapeños

Method

1. Place the beef mince and mustard or horseradish and herbs, if using, in a mixing bowl. Add plenty of ground black pepper and, using your hands, combine all the ingredients and shape into 4 equal-sized burgers.

2. Place a heavy-based frying pan or griddle pan over a medium-high heat, add the coconut oil to the pan and, when hot, sprinkle Himalayan salt over your burger and place salt-side down in the pan. Leave to cook for 5 minutes then sprinkle over a little salt before turning and cooking for a further 5 minutes, depending on how well cooked you like your burger (see tip below). You can also cook the burgers on a preheated outdoor barbecue.

3. If serving with cheese, add a slice to the top of each burger and allow to cook for a few minutes, until the cheese melts a little. Toast the buns, if you wish, before assembling the burgers with the toppings of your choice.

Tips and notes

Burgers in our house are a real summer thing to enjoy with friends, but cooking them to everyone’s liking is tricky, which is where the Thermapen, or meat thermometer, comes in very handy. For well-done meat the internal temperature should be 70°C/158°F and for medium-rare about 60°C/42°F.

From Coconut Oil: Recipes for Real Life. Recipe text © 2016 Lucy Bee Limited.