Proper cheeseburgers

Summer is finally here! Time to dust off the barbecue and garden furniture, put some drinks in the fridge and make some ice cubes.

The thing with the British summer though, is that it takes you by surprise. One minute it is pouring down with rain and rather chilly, and the next it is sundress weather. Which is why you need to perfect the art of the “emergency barbecue”. As in, it is 11:00 am, the sun is unexpectedly shining, quick, let’s run to the butcher’s and buy something we can barbecue.

When you are short on prep time, one of the easiest ways to enjoy a barbecue is to make homemade cheeseburgers.

Personally, I prefer a rather simple cheeseburger: a toasted bun, a nice burger, tasty cheese, and maybe a bit of ketchup. That’s it.

I know most people will add tomatoes, lettuce, gherkins, etc. , which is fine, each to their own! The main thing here is good quality beef, the trimmings almost don’t matter.

You will need (for 4 burgers):

500 g beef mince
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 a red onion
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Salt
Pepper
4 good quality bread buns
Thin slices of your choice of cheese (I like Emmental or Maasdam)
Ketchup

Method:

Heat up the olive oil in a small frying pan. Chop the onion finely, and cook gently in the oil until soft. Drain on kitchen paper.

In a large bowl, place the mince, onions, parsley and seasoning.

Mix thoroughly with your hands, then divide into 4 equal portions. Form each portion into a ball, and pat it gently to flatten it between your palms until it is roughly 2 cm thick.

Put the patties on a plate, cover with cling film then reserve in the fridge while you light the barbecue.

When your barbecue is ready, cook the burgers for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare (this will vary depending on your barbecue and the thickness of the patties).

Just before the burgers are ready, lay the cheese on top of them and toast the buns.

Assemble the burgers, and top with a bit of ketchup. I like to have a few grilled mushrooms alongside too.

Enjoy!