Читать книгу Out of an African Kitchen - Nicky Fitzgerald - Страница 16

BEST BURGER IN THE MARA

The ‘smashed burger’ was made famous by Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack. We love the crispy edges and the sauce so much we simply had to model ours on his. A touch of New York City in the Mara.

SHOP IT

500g minced beef

2 Tbsp butter, plus more if needed

4 hamburger rolls, halved

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tomatoes, cut into 1cm-thick slices

1 cup grated strong cheddar cheese

4 burger-sized lettuce leaves

2 large pickled gherkins, thinly sliced lengthways

Sauce:

¼ cup mayonnaise

1½ tsp pickle juice

1½ tsp ketchup or tomato sauce

1 tsp prepared mustard

¼ tsp smoked paprika

PREPARE IT

Shape the minced beef into 4 equal-sized, 6cm-thick flat balls or ‘pucks’. Place these patties on a plate lined with waxed paper and freeze for 15 minutes. The meat must extra-cold but not frozen when it hits the pan.

To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients, check the flavour and make any adjustments if necessary.

Heat a cast-iron pan over medium heat. Melt the butter and place the rolls, cut-side down, in the pan. Toast for 1–2 minutes until the cut sides are golden-brown. Transfer the rolls to 4 plates. Remove the patties from the freezer. Increase the heat to high, add oil to the pan and heat until the oil begins to smoke (at least 2 minutes). Working one at a time, flatten each patty in the pan to a 2cm thickness, pressing hard to flatten. Generously season with salt and pepper. Once the patty is brown with crisp, scraggly edges (1½–2 minutes for medium), flip it over with a spatula to scrape underneath the meat. Repeat with the remaining patties.

Spoon some of the sauce over the bottom burger rolls. Transfer the cooked patties onto the rolls. Top with tomatoes, grated cheese, lettuce, pickles and the upper rolls.

Serve with potato wedges and battered onion rings, if you like.

Serves 4