Ultimate Cheese Burger

Ingredients

• 500g 20% fat beef mince
• 4 x semi-sweet burger buns (see notes, opposite)
• 40g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• sea salt flakes
• 4 cheese slices (preferably American)
• Little Gem lettuce leaves
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced

Burger Sauce

• 60g mayonnaise
• 25g tomato ketchup
• 10g American mustard
• 1 small gherkin, very finely chopped
• 1⁄2 tsp dill, finely chopped
• 1⁄4 tsp ground paprika
• a few shakes of Tabasco

Method

1. Start by making the burger sauce. Combine all the ingredients, seasoning lightly. Cover and set aside until needed.
2. Separate the mince into 4 equal pieces and gently shape into balls. Place them between 2 large sheets of baking paper, spaced evenly apart. Press each ball using the base of a small pan so they’re a bit wider than the buns – they’ll shrink slightly when cooked. Discard the top paper and use your fingertips to create a divot in the centre of each patty. Slide the patties onto a large plate, still on the paper, and chill.
3. Evenly spread the cut sides of the burger buns with butter. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and, in batches, fry the buns buttered-side down until golden and toasted around the edges. Set aside, then grease the pan with half the oil and increase the heat to medium-high.
4. Remove the patties from the fridge, and season with the salt and some freshly ground black pepper on both sides. The flavour and crust is made by seasoning generously here, so go for it. When the pan is very hot and slightly smoking, add two of the burgers, divot side up, and press into the pan. Cook undisturbed for a few minutes until the edges start to become deeply browned. Flip the patties, immediately cover each with a cheese slice, reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid. Cook for 1 minute or until the cheese has melted. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely. Wipe out the pan and repeat with the remaining oil and burgers.
5. Rest the burgers for 5 minutes, then start building. Layer a few lettuce leaves, tomato slices and onion rings on each base. Smear a dollop of burger sauce on the cut side of the top half of the bun. Place a cheeseburger on top of the salad, and squidge on the top bun.