For the burger patties:
500g beef mince
1 egg
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
4 tbsp Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
1 tbsp vegetable oil
To serve:
8 rashers smoked bacon
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tomato, sliced
2 gherkins, sliced
4 burger buns
For the coleslaw:
180g cabbage, finely sliced
180g carrot, grated
1 red onion, finely sliced
150g mayonnaise
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
Sriracha sauce, to taste
Makes 4 burgers
For the coleslaw:
Put the cabbage, carrot and onion in a bowl and massage with your hands for a minute.
In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and white wine vinegar and add as much Sriracha sauce as you like. Mix well and add to the vegetables in the bowl. Mix to combine and set aside while making the burgers.
For the burgers:
In a big bowl combine the mince, egg, beadcrumbs, 2 tbsp mustard and salt until well mixed. Shape 4 burger patties with your hands, each about 2cm high.
Crush the whole peppercorns with a pestle and mortar. Put the crushed pepper onto a plate, and roll the side of each burger patty in the pepper, so that they’re covered in pepper all around. Set aside.*
Place the bacon rashers in a frying pan and fry on both sides until lightly browned. Brush some maple syrup over one side, turn over and fry for 30 seconds, then brush the second side, flip over and fry for another 30 seconds. Take out of the pan and set aside.
Heat the tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large frying pan and fry the burger patties for 3 minutes on one side while covering the pan. Turn them over and fry for another 3 minutes, covered. Brush the top of the burgers with a bit of mustard, then turn them over onto the mustard side and fry for another minute, uncovered. Brush the burgers with a bit more mustard and flip over one more time, so that both sides have been spread with mustard and been fried on the mustard side.
Assemble the burgers: cut open the burger buns and distribute a bit of coleslaw on the bottom of each. Top with a burger patty, with two slices of maple bacon, a slice of tomato and a few gherkin slices. Top with the bun and eat immediately.
*these can be frozen at this stage
