Burgers Made Better: The Connoisseur’s Choice

Burgers Made Better:  The Connoisseur’s Choice
Give your burger some serious love with these superior accompaniments.

In the October issue of MiNDFOOD, we take you on a tour of New Zealand’s most delicious burgers, from the top of the North Island to Stewart Island. Can’t make it to NZ? Try these incredible ways to jazz up your homemade burgers.

Candied Bacon

2 tbsp pure maple syrup
60g brown sugar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp cinnamon
500g good-quality streaky bacon

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a shallow baking tray with tin foil and top with a wire rack.

In a large bowl, place maple syrup, sugar, Dijon mustard, salt, cayenne pepper and cinnamon. Mix well. Coat bacon in mixture.

Arrange bacon in a single layer on the wire rack. Bake in centre of oven for about 20 minutes. Turn oven down to 150°C. The bacon will be a bit brown, but will probably need to bake for another 30-35 minutes. It should look slightly dark (not burnt) and crispy.

Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes on the rack. Once cool enough to handle, you can break the bacon in to pieces. Serve at room temperature.

Deep-fried Gherkins

Makes 12

125g plain flour
½ tsp hot paprika
250ml lager
4 cups canola oil, for frying
12 large gherkins

Mix flour and paprika together; season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk in lager slowly, to make a medium thickness batter.

Heat oil in a deep saucepan on a medium heat. Pat gherkins dry with paper towels. Dip into the batter, letting the excess drain off. Fry 3-5 minutes until golden. Drain on kitchen towels. Serve hot.

Pickled Onion Rings

Makes 1 jar

2 red onions, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp juniper berries
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
6-8 whole cloves
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
250ml rice wine vinegar

Slice onions, place in a clean 500ml jar with juniper berries, star anise, cloves and cinnamon.

Mix together sugar, salt and vinegar. Add vinegar mixture to onions; it should cover the onions. Seal jar and shake. Leave to pickle for 2-3 hours or overnight if possible.

Mashed Avocado

1 clove garlic, peeled
½ tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp chipotle sauce
1 avocado
½ lemon, juice only

On a chopping board, crush garlic. Sprinkle with sea salt, paprika and chipotle sauce. Peel avocado, roughly chop. Sprinkle with a little lemon juice. Use a fork to mash the avocado in to garlic mixture. Use immediately.

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