We have already had some great barbecue weather this summer, so let’s hope there is plenty more to come – there is nothing nicer than a barbecue on a long summer’s evening. You can buy most of the ingredients ready-made by your butcher or in the supermarket, but I think it is good to get into the habit of making your own burgers and flavouring them to your taste. This recipe suits people who are gluten intolerant as, unlike a lot of ready-made burgers, there are no traces of flour.
A really good burger has to be made from really good beef. Don’t buy extra-lean mince as the burgers will become tough during cooking. If you can, ask a butcher to mince some rump, blade or chuck steak for you. Make sure it has 20% fat content as this will, in effect, make them self-basting and will prevent them from drying out during cooking.
If you would like to be a bit adventurous with the barbecue, try some salmon. Mackerel is also delicious and I love it fresh. The quality of farmed salmon has improved over the years and, in my opinion, some of the best available comes from Ireland, where the sea is always freezing cold and, for the most part, is unpolluted, with strong tidal flows.
Make sure your salmon fillets are all even-sized and about 2.5cm (1in) thick to ensure even cooking. These can be prepared the night before and kept in the fridge, covered with cling film. Don’t add the lemon juice until you’re just ready to cook though.
Happy cooking,
The ultimate beef burger with crispy potato wedges
Serves four
675g (1½lb) minced beef (see intro above)
1 small onion, finely grated
1 mild red chilli, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp cream
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ heaped tsp salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
4 slices cheddar
2 tbsp mayonnaise
50g (2oz) iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
25g (1oz) cocktail gherkins, finely chopped
2 tbsp spring onion, finely chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
4 sesame bread rolls or baps, halved
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
Ballymaloe tomato relish, to serve
Crispy potato wedges:
2 tbsp Donegal Rapeseed oil
4 x 175g (6oz) potatoes, scrubbed (about 675g/1½lb in total)
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
½ tsp salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
Place the minced beef in a food processor and add the onion, chilli (if using), garlic, double cream and parsley. Season with the salt and plenty of pepper, then quickly blitz until the meat starts to hold together. Divide the mixture into four burgers and shape by hand or by pressing into a metal pastry cutter.
Arrange on a flat plate, then cover loosely with clingfilm and chill for at least one hour to allow the mixture to firm up.
To make the crispy potato wedges, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6). Cut each potato into eight even-sized wedges.
Place the potatoes in a pan of boiling water, return to the boil and blanch for two to three minutes, then quickly drain.
Put the rapeseed oil in a large roasting tin with the Cajun seasoning, salt and some freshly-ground black pepper. Add the wedges and toss until they are all well coated in the flavoured oil, then arrange them in rows “sitting” upright on their skins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until completely tender and lightly golden.
Meanwhile, preheat the grill or a barbecue with medium-hot coals and cook the burgers for about five minutes on each side for medium. Put a slice of cheddar on top of each one and then remove from the heat. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes in a warm place until the cheese has just started to melt.
Place the mayonnaise in a bowl and mix in the lettuce, gherkins, spring onion and mustard. Season to taste and mix well.
To serve, lightly toast the cut sides of the rolls under the grill or on the barbecue for one to two minutes.
Cover the bottom half with a couple of slices of tomato and some lettuce and mayonnaise, then sit the burger with the melting cheddar on top. Cover with the top half of the bun and arrange on warmed serving plates with the crispy potato wedges and a small pot of tomato relish.Salmon and asparagus wraps with rocket pesto
Serves four
12 asparagus spears, trimmed
4 x 175g (6oz) skinless organic salmon fillets
4 fresh dill sprigs
4 slices Parma ham
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tbsp Donegal Rapeseed Oil
25g (1oz) butter
Lightly-dressed mixed salad, to serve
Lemon wedges, to garnish
Rocket pesto:
25g (1oz) pine nuts
50g (2oz) rocket leaves
25g (1oz) freshly-grated parmesan
100ml (3 ½fl oz) rapeseed oil
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/gas mark 5).To make the rocket pesto, place the pine nuts in a baking tin and roast for a few minutes, until golden brown, keeping a close eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.Leave to cool. Place the rocket in a food processor with the toasted pine nuts, parmesan and oil. Season with salt and pepper and blitz to a smooth purée. Place in a small bowl, cover with clingfilm and chill until ready to use. This can be made up to four days in advance.Blanch the asparagus spears in a pan of boiling salted water for one minute. Drain and quickly refresh under cold running water, then tip into a bowl of ice-cold water to cool completely. Drain well and dry on kitchen paper.Season each salmon fillet with pepper and arrange three asparagus spears, trimming them down as necessary, and a dill sprig on top of each fillet. Lightly wrap a slice of Parma ham around each bundle and place in a shallow, non-metallic dish, then add a squeeze of lemon juice.Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the butter. Once it stops foaming, add the salmon wraps, presentation-side down, and cook for four to five minutes all over to seal. Transfer to the oven and roast for another eight minutes, until the salmon wraps are cooked through.To serve, arrange the salmon wraps on warmed serving plates and spoon some of the rocket pesto to one side. Add some mixed salad to each plate and place the rest of the rocket pesto on the table. Have a separate dish of the lemon wedges and potatoes of your choice.
We have already had some great barbecue weather this summer, so let’s hope there is plenty more to come – there is nothing nicer than a barbecue on a long summer’s evening. You can buy most of the ingredients ready-made by your butcher or in the supermarket, but I think it is good to get into the habit of making your own burgers and flavouring them to your taste. This recipe suits people who are gluten intolerant as, unlike a lot of ready-made burgers, there are no traces of flour.
A really good burger has to be made from really good beef. Don’t buy extra-lean mince as the burgers will become tough during cooking. If you can, ask a butcher to mince some rump, blade or chuck steak for you. Make sure it has 20% fat content as this will, in effect, make them self-basting and will prevent them from drying out during cooking.
If you would like to be a bit adventurous with the barbecue, try some salmon. Mackerel is also delicious and I love it fresh. The quality of farmed salmon has improved over the years and, in my opinion, some of the best available comes from Ireland, where the sea is always freezing cold and, for the most part, is unpolluted, with strong tidal flows.
Make sure your salmon fillets are all even-sized and about 2.5cm (1in) thick to ensure even cooking. These can be prepared the night before and kept in the fridge, covered with cling film. Don’t add the lemon juice until you’re just ready to cook though.
Happy cooking,
The ultimate beef burger with crispy potato wedges
Serves four
675g (1½lb) minced beef (see intro above)
1 small onion, finely grated
1 mild red chilli, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp cream
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ heaped tsp salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
4 slices cheddar
2 tbsp mayonnaise
50g (2oz) iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
25g (1oz) cocktail gherkins, finely chopped
2 tbsp spring onion, finely chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
4 sesame bread rolls or baps, halved
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
Ballymaloe tomato relish, to serve
Crispy potato wedges:
2 tbsp Donegal Rapeseed oil
4 x 175g (6oz) potatoes, scrubbed (about 675g/1½lb in total)
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
½ tsp salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
Place the minced beef in a food processor and add the onion, chilli (if using), garlic, double cream and parsley. Season with the salt and plenty of pepper, then quickly blitz until the meat starts to hold together. Divide the mixture into four burgers and shape by hand or by pressing into a metal pastry cutter.
Arrange on a flat plate, then cover loosely with clingfilm and chill for at least one hour to allow the mixture to firm up.
To make the crispy potato wedges, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6). Cut each potato into eight even-sized wedges.
Place the potatoes in a pan of boiling water, return to the boil and blanch for two to three minutes, then quickly drain.
Put the rapeseed oil in a large roasting tin with the Cajun seasoning, salt and some freshly-ground black pepper. Add the wedges and toss until they are all well coated in the flavoured oil, then arrange them in rows “sitting” upright on their skins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until completely tender and lightly golden.
Meanwhile, preheat the grill or a barbecue with medium-hot coals and cook the burgers for about five minutes on each side for medium. Put a slice of cheddar on top of each one and then remove from the heat. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes in a warm place until the cheese has just started to melt.
Place the mayonnaise in a bowl and mix in the lettuce, gherkins, spring onion and mustard. Season to taste and mix well.
To serve, lightly toast the cut sides of the rolls under the grill or on the barbecue for one to two minutes.
Cover the bottom half with a couple of slices of tomato and some lettuce and mayonnaise, then sit the burger with the melting cheddar on top. Cover with the top half of the bun and arrange on warmed serving plates with the crispy potato wedges and a small pot of tomato relish.Salmon and asparagus wraps with rocket pesto
Serves four
12 asparagus spears, trimmed
4 x 175g (6oz) skinless organic salmon fillets
4 fresh dill sprigs
4 slices Parma ham
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tbsp Donegal Rapeseed Oil
25g (1oz) butter
Lightly-dressed mixed salad, to serve
Lemon wedges, to garnish
Rocket pesto:
25g (1oz) pine nuts
50g (2oz) rocket leaves
25g (1oz) freshly-grated parmesan
100ml (3 ½fl oz) rapeseed oil
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/gas mark 5).To make the rocket pesto, place the pine nuts in a baking tin and roast for a few minutes, until golden brown, keeping a close eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.Leave to cool. Place the rocket in a food processor with the toasted pine nuts, parmesan and oil. Season with salt and pepper and blitz to a smooth purée. Place in a small bowl, cover with clingfilm and chill until ready to use. This can be made up to four days in advance.Blanch the asparagus spears in a pan of boiling salted water for one minute. Drain and quickly refresh under cold running water, then tip into a bowl of ice-cold water to cool completely. Drain well and dry on kitchen paper.Season each salmon fillet with pepper and arrange three asparagus spears, trimming them down as necessary, and a dill sprig on top of each fillet. Lightly wrap a slice of Parma ham around each bundle and place in a shallow, non-metallic dish, then add a squeeze of lemon juice.Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the butter. Once it stops foaming, add the salmon wraps, presentation-side down, and cook for four to five minutes all over to seal. Transfer to the oven and roast for another eight minutes, until the salmon wraps are cooked through.To serve, arrange the salmon wraps on warmed serving plates and spoon some of the rocket pesto to one side. Add some mixed salad to each plate and place the rest of the rocket pesto on the table. Have a separate dish of the lemon wedges and potatoes of your choice. 
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: