I love the Dexter beef we sell. It’s delicious  and it’s hung for 21 days, but you can say that for a lot of beef can’t you? Well this is also free range, grass fed and fully traceable Pedigree, and that makes it pretty special. For more information on the smallest breed native to the British isles, look up the dexter Cattle society on http://www.dextercattle.co.uk, but for now let’s talk burgers!

So I’ve mentioned before that one of my children doesn’t eat a big range of foods. I refuse to call it fussy and tar him with the ‘fussy eater’ brush. He’s just a child that like to try things under his own steam and his own control. At the moment he’s very interested in ‘hamburgers’, which is what he calls a cheese roll. So while he’s in a mood to be quite receptive to new things at the moment I thought I’d give beef burgers a go. Sausages are on his safe list, so I thought seeing the burgers made would reassure him they are similar to sausages.

The result was better than I hoped for. He tried some of everything in his plate (never happens), including several bites of hamburger which included meat and not just bread roll! And he even tried eating his leaves on his side salad…this is of course because ‘the highway rat’ steals a leaf from some ants and eats it! But that’s amazing progress in our book, and our book is apparently authored by Julia Donaldson!

Dexter Burgers with Chunky Chips

Makes enough for 8 burgers & 8 portions of chips

Ingredients:

For the Chips:

3 medium sweet potatoes

3 medium potatoes (chip variety if possible)

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp smoked paprika

Salt and pepper

For the Burgers:

1kg Dexter minced beef

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1.5 tbsp tomato puree

1 large egg

2 slices bread, grated into breadcrumbs (I used crusts)

2 tbsp chopped chives

salt and pepper

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

smoked cheddar (optional)

Method:

1. Make the Chips.

Pre heat oven to 190oC. Wash all the potatoes and keep the skins on. Chop into chip shapes, all about the same thickness. In a large pan or wok heat the coconut oil and garlic until the oil is completely liquid and the garlic is starting to brown. Remove from the heat and stir through the chips (I added the chips to the pan to mix), also add in the paprika and season and mix until they are evenly coated. Tip into an oven tray and put in the oven until they are browning and crisping on the outside and soft on the inside. This will take around 45 mins and they will need turning/shaking half way.

2. Make the burgers.

While the chips cook, make the burgers. In a large mixing bowl, put all the burger ingredients (not the cheese or oil) and season well. Mix well until completely combined. Press out into 8 equal sized burgers.

3. Cook the burgers.

Heat a large frying pan (med-high heat), with the rapeseed oil. When it’s hot, add the burgers (don’t overfill the pan, do them in batches) and cook for 2 minutes on each side until well browned and sealed. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and put in the oven with the chips. Leave in the oven until cooked through, and piping hot throughout (or to your specification). Ours took about 15 minutes.

4. If you’re having cheese, remove the burgers from the oven 2-3 minutes before they are done, top with a slice of cheese and return to the oven for the final minutes. It should look like a perfect union; the cheese and burger were meant to be together, when it’s done!

Serve with your faves. We had wholemeal rolls and mixed leaf salad. And ketchup, there’s always ketchup!