BEST BEEF BURGERS

There are plenty of opinions when it comes to what makes the best burgers. For me, it’s keeping the patty itself all about the meat – no onion, breadcrumbs or egg, just beef with a decent fat ratio and plenty of salt and pepper. Avoid lean beef at all costs or you’ll end up with the driest burger. Non-negotiables are fried onions, sliced tomato and shredded lettuce. The rest is up to you. I like to go old-school Aussie milk bar and add beetroot relish and, of course, some sauce (I’m not going to go into the tomato sauce vs barbecue sauce debate!). Or head down the cheeseburger route and go for pickles and mayo. Fries optional.

Preparation Time 15 minutes, plus chilling | Cooking Time 25 minutes | Serves 4

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) beef mince

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, thinly sliced into rings

4 soft burger buns, halved and cut sides toasted

Tomato sauce, barbecue sauce and/or mayonnaise

2 tomatoes, thickly sliced

¼ iceberg lettuce or ½ baby cos lettuce, coarsely shredded

BEETROOT RELISH

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ red onion, finely diced

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

250 g (9 oz) beetroot (beets) (about 2 medium beetroot), peeled and cut into julienne or coarsely grated

3 thyme sprigs

60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) red wine vinegar

1½ tablespoons brown sugar

To make the beetroot relish, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium–high heat, add the onion and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, for a minute or two until the onion is tender and translucent. Stir in the beetroot and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2–3 minutes until beginning to soften, then stir in the vinegar, sugar and 2 tablespoons water, season and simmer for 7–8 minutes until the beetroot is just tender and the liquid is evaporated. Cool, then refrigerate for up to 2 weeks in a sterilised jar.

Divide the mince into four and form each into a loose patty just a little bit bigger than your burger buns. Place on a tray and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.

Heat half the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium–high heat, add the onion and fry, stirring occasionally, for 7–8 minutes until browned and tender. Season to taste and transfer to a bowl.

Wipe out the pan with paper towels and add the remaining oil. Season both sides of the patties generously and fry, turning once, for just 1–2 minutes until browned and not quite cooked through.

Spread the bun bases with sauce and/or mayonnaise, then top each with a burger patty, onion, tomato, a little beetroot relish, lettuce and more mayo, if desired, then sandwich with the burger bun tops and serve.