MESSY PLATE #4 smash burgers with chilli fig jam and comté
one to impress with!
For me, a good burger is all about the toppings and sides.
Here we have sweet spicy jam, plenty of nutty Comté paired with a generous dollop of garlic mayo and crispy chunky chips (the chunkier the better!).
For the juiciest burgers you want an 80/20 mix of meat and fat, I used minced chuck steak from my local butchers and it worked a treat!
serves 2
cooks in 1 hr with prep time
ingredients
Chilli fig jam
300g fresh figs, stalk removed and quartered
2tbsp honey
1tbsp coconut sugar
Pinch of chilli flakes
Pinch of sea sat
Juice half lemon
Burgers
320g minced beef (minced chuck steak works well)
1 tsp olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
100g Comté, cut into slices
Rosemary chips
2-3 large floury potatoes such as King Edward or Maris Piper, skin on, cut into chunky chips
2 tbsp salted butter
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Garlic mayo
100g mayonnaise
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped or grated
To serve
2 sesame seeds buns, sliced
Handful lettuce - I used butterhead
method
Preheat the oven to 210C/190C fan/gas mark 6.
Divide the minced beef into 4 and mould each piece into a ball. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cover each ball with a square of baking paper and store in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.
Add the chips to a large pan of salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5-7 minutes until they begin to soften. Drain and leave to steam dry while you get started on the fig jam.
Add all of the jam ingredients apart from the lemon juice to a small saucepan over a low heat, cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the figs have softened, stir in half of the lemon juice. Give it a taste test, the lemon should bring out the fig flavour, if needed add the other half of the lemon juice. Set aside to cool.
Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Add the butter and heat in the oven for 2 minutes to melt, add the chips and rosemary to the tray. Stir to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crispy.
Combine the garlic mayo ingredients in a small bowl. Season with black pepper. Set aside.
For the burgers, heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan or skillet over a high heat. Working in batches, add the burger patties covered with the baking paper and use either a burger press or a second smaller pan to press the beef patty down firmly, cook for 1-2 minutes and flip, add the Comté, cover the pan with a lid and cook for a further 1-2 minutes until the cheese has melted. Leave to rest for 5 minutes. Repeat until all the burger patties are cooked.
Add the sliced buns, cut side down to the pan and cook for 1 minutes until lightly toasted and golden.
To serve, layer the buns with garlic mayo, a double patty followed by the fig jam and lettuce. Use any extra garlic mayo to dunk your chips into.
Leftover jam will keep in the fridge for up to a week and is delicious on a slice of toast.
