- Serves 3 (makes 6 burgers) - Ready in 45 minutes -
Gather together...
1tbsp rapeseed oil or olive oil.
2 onions, thinly sliced and diced (to save time day-to-day, I keep a big box of onions I've chopped ahead-of-time, in the freezer, so I throw in 4 handfuls of those).
1 (peeled and chopped) garlic clove (or 1 tsp lazy garlic).
200g (4 big handfuls) of spinach leaves - for speed I use frozen spinach (not the kind in cubes - I freeze fresh spinach in a bag - bought or homegrown) as you can just crush up this frozen spinach in the bag to easily prep it (or if you haven't got frozen spinach to hand, then wash the fresh leaves, chop them up with scissors and wilt the pieces in the microwave for 1 minute on HIGH to soften them - the water on the leaves from washing will be enough to steam them in).
1 cup (125g when weighed on the scales) shop bought breadcrumbs (or 5 slices of bread well-toasted, left to cool in the toaster and then crumbled and whizzed in a food processor).
100g (½ jar) pesto.
150g (2 handfuls) cheese - if you use Wensleydale you can crumble it in by hand, or just grate in some Cheddar.
Pinch ground black pepper.
2 eggs.
1 tbsp plain flour (for coating burgers in).
Serve with...
Chips - use 1 scrubbed-clean medium potato per person *for REALLY crispy homemade chips, microwave the un-cut and un-pierced potatoes on HIGH for 5 minutes, before making them into oven baked chips* i.e. after microwaving, slice the (hot) potatoes with skin on, into thinly sliced into circular ‘chips’ and toss in 2 tbsp of oil, then bake in the (200C fan) oven for 25 minutes until crispy - I add salt only to the adult portions once served up - OR use shop-bought oven-ready chips.
6 slices of freshly baked white sourdough bread (from a breadmaker or a supermarket bakery), 1 large slice per burger (to wrap around instead of a bun as burger buns are always sold ready-wrapped in plastic).
Salad leaves and baby tomatoes.
Tomato ketchup.
Get cooking...
1. In a large casserole dish on the hob, heat the 1 tbsp of oil and gently fry the two sliced onions and the garlic clove for 5 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 220 C (200 C fan) or Gas 7.
3. REMOVE the casserole dish from the heat and turn off the hob. Add the 4 big handfuls of crushed-up-frozen spinach (or chopped fresh spinach, microwave-wilted) to the casserole dish. Then add the 1 cup of breadcrumbs, the 1/2 a jar of pesto, the two handfuls of grated / crumbled cheese and the pinch of ground pepper.
4. Break the 2 eggs into the casserole dish and mix well.
5. Put the tbsp of flour into a shallow soup-style bowl (you will use this flour to coat the burgers).
6. Flour your hands and divide the spinach mixture into 6 lumps, ideally using a ½ cup (125g) scoop to measure how much mixture to use in each burger. Roll each lump of mixture into a ball so that it sticks together and then flatten slightly to make a burger shape.
7. Dip the burgers in the flour to coat all over. Brush / shake off the excess flour.
8. Put the burgers onto a large (you'll need space to add the chips) baking tray in the oven. There is no need to line or oil the tray. Bake at the top of the oven for 30 minutes at 220 C (200 C fan) or Gas 7.
9. Meanwhile, prepare the chips.
9. (a) Either; use 1 scrubbed-clean medium-small potato per person *for REALLY crispy homemade chips, microwave the un-cut and un-pierced potatoes on HIGH for 5 minutes, before making them into oven baked chips* So, after microwaving, slice the (hot-so-be-careful) potatoes with their skins-still-on, into (fairly) thinly (0.5cm thick) sliced circular ‘chips’ and toss in the 2 tbsp of oil - I add salt only to the adult portions once served Then spread the chips out so they don't overlap (they will be crispier if the air can circulate) on the same baking tray as the burgers and cook them (with the burgers) for as long as the burgers have left to cook (circa 25 minutes). The chips cook a little more quickly than the burgers, so the burgers need the head start whilst you make the chips.
9. (b) Or; use shop-bought oven-ready chips and follow the packet instructions.
10. Serve the burgers in slices of freshly-made white sourdough, with the homemade sliced-in-skins 'chips' (or shop-bought oven-ready chips), salad and ketchup.
Adapted from a BBC Good Food recipe called 'Green Burgers'.