As the weather brightens up and we even received the promised ‘heat wave’ over the weekend here in the UK, the English half of me cannot help but itch for BBQs and deck chairs. (Seriously, all it takes in this country is half an hour of sunshine – never mind that it’s March!)
Since we currently own neither, and the French half of me is horrified by the very thought of getting these things out this early in the year, I settled for making homemade sweet tomato & chilli relish, my healthy baked chips and homemade burgers (under the grill of course!) and trying to bring a little of the sunshine into the kitchen.
When you contemplate the nutritional values of shop-bought (or worse, fast food) burgers and chips, it is easy to see why such a yummy meal has ended up with such a bad reputation! Fortunately, with very little work (even less than popping to the shops or local fast food chain), it is easy to make a much healthier, and yummier, alternative.
Let’s start with the burgers themselves…
Simple Homemade Burgers
You will need:
1x 450g pack lean mince (whatever meat you like, although I particularly enjoy pork in this recipe)
1x apple, peeled, cored and grated
(Now technically this is all you need, but my own recipe contains a couple of other ingredients:)
1 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp herb of your choice (I like basil)
Dash of Worcestershire sauce (my dad taught me how this can improve most recipes!)
The method is equally simple: mix everything together in a bowl and shape into 4-6 burgers (depends how big you want them). Grill for 5-10 mins either side, checking that it is thoroughly cooked in the middle.
…
Yes, it is that cheap, simple and quick!
Now, what burger is complete without a side of chips? 😉
Easy, Healthy Chips
Based on Gwyneth Paltrow’s recipe, click here to see original.
Again, very simple.
You will need:
Potatoes (I like to use about 1-1.5 medium potatoes per person)
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp oil
All you need to do is peel and chop the potatoes into chip shapes, soak in cold water for 5 mins, drain, and then toss in the oil and salt. Bake in a preheated oven (200C) for 15-20 mins (until they start to go golden and are soft in the centre).
Couldn’t be easier! 🙂
Serve the whole thing with your choice of bread and accompaniments. I got the recipe for sweet tomato & chilli relish from a wonderful cookbook and have posted it here.
Bon appetit!
