This is really the embodiment of the true fact that a burger – any burger – is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s not really about the burger, it’s about the combination of dill, gherkin, French’s mustard, mayo and tomato ketchup. And lettuce. It will make it all totally delicious – and when I say delicious what I mean is that it will taste like McDonald’s.
And so you don’t need to bother with a meat patty in order to have a great burger experience – but you do have to make an effort with the burger accessories.
To make a really naughty, delicious meat-free burger event, you will need:
Any old supermarket bun
Any old veggie burger patty – or even two (I like the ones from Linda McCartney, but it doesn’t really matter)
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
A gherkin
A small amount of dill, chopped
1/2 tsp of shallot, grated
A handful of gem lettuce, shredded
Tomato ketchup
Some slices of tomato (if you want)
Slices of the most processed cheese you can get your hands on
1 Cook the veggie burger as instructed and then lightly melt the cheese on top at the of the cooking time
2 Make a burger sauce by combining the dill and shallot with the mayonnaise. Either chop the gherkin into this or slice into rounds and add later (I prefer chopping into the sauce but it’s all just personal).
2 If you are having a double patty burger, layer it all like this: bun, mustard, patty 1, burger sauce, lettuce, patty 2 (which has the cheese on), tomato ketchup, tomato slices, bun top
It’s ALL about the sauce!!! We have just lunged for the drinks tray after another week of isolation. I’ll be making the sauce it looks amazing
You are absolutely right I had a beetroot “bleeding” burger with all the trimmings, brioche bun, a slice of glow in the dark American cheese, long gherkin slices, mayo and mustard………………..really delicious, the burger on it’s own?? pretty good, but it’s not beef and as long as you can reconcile yourself with that, its’s more than okay.
Correct order of assembly too. My husband drives me crazy as he will muddle the mayo/lettuce and ketchup/cheese/tomato elements willy nilly. Is it not TOTALLY obvious to everyone that lettuce goes with mayo and cheese with ketchup separated by the patty? Please answer this so I can hit him with some stats …
Esther, you missed the important bit on here that it must be French’s mustard if possible, not Dijon, for the full Macdo. And if anyone wants to make good meaty burgers, try Nigel Slater’s lamb burgers (BBC Food): excellent even if you don’t bother with the cheesey centre, and if you’ve got a spare egg white, that helps as a binder.
This tastes exactly like a Maccy D’s cheeseburger. Absolute heaven. You’re a genius, thank you!
This is the corona content I need Esther!! Many thanks