During lockdown I lost track of time and the days of the week so easily. I forgot it was Saturday until the butcher was already closed and we ended up with no joint for Sunday lunch — practically a criminal offence in my house.

I usually have a pack of mince in my tiny freezer as minced beef is my go to emergency staple and has been since forever. Burgers are so easy to make and I’ve no idea why anyone would buy them readymade and they don’t deserve to always be in a bread bun.

Ingredients

• 450g minced steak
• 50g mature cheddar grated
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 100g mushrooms (any) sliced
• 25g butter
• 25g flour, plus a little extra for patting your burgers out.
• 1 pt strong beef stock
• 1 dsp tomato purée
• 6 tbsp vinegar — any white wine, cider, malt or anything you have.
• 6 tbsp Worcester Sauce
• S&P

Method

Make the patties first.

1. In a bowl, place the mince, cheese, one of the chopped onions, the mustard powder (or any mustard you have) ketchup, salt and pepper and an egg. Mix all the ingredients together. (You could dry-up the mixture with breadcrumbs if you wanted to make the mince go further.)
2. Flour your work surface and your hands, then split the mixture into four. Pat each one out into burgers using extra flour, if required. If you have time, chill for 30 minutes. They will hold together better.
3. Put the oven on at 180 degrees C or gas 4.
4. Choose a low casserole pan with a lid that you can put in a hot oven. I use a 25cm x 6cm.
5. Put a little oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. When the oil is hot add the burgers. After a minute or two, turn the heat down for another minute or two to allow the burgers not just to brown but to set. Then, gently turn each one over with a fish slice or palette knife, and repeat for the other side. Be very careful and gentle. They may stick because of the cheese and fall apart if not properly set.
6. Take the burgers out of the pan and put them on a plate. Do not wash the pan.
7. In the same pan add a little more butter to the remaining oil, onions and mushrooms.
8. Gently fry the mushrooms and onions until they take-on some colour.
9. Turn the heat down low and add the flour and mustard powder to make a roux. Cook the flour out to burst the starch, stirring constantly.
10. Add the tomato purée, Worcester sauce and the vinegar. Stir constantly and start adding the stock slowly. If you add the stock too quickly and do not continuously stir, you will end up with a dull, lumpy sauce. Stir constantly and add the stock slowly.
11. Season with salt and pepper, then return the burgers to the pan with the sauce. Place in the oven for around 30 minutes.

Serve with potatoes or rice and vegetables of your choice.

Just as good as a roast.

Enjoy!