POTATO BURGERS

I wish I could say that I came up with this amazingly creative ‘Potato Burger’ recipe, but sadly I did not. (The June Issue of Food Ideas can take that credit). As long as the potatoes are kept at a medium size, they are a healthier alternative to bread or hamburger buns and are also gluten & dairy-free. If this recipe terrifies you due to the amount of carbs in it, try it for a Saturday or Sunday lunch instead. It really is a delicious substitute for bread and is also more fun to make and more aesthetically pleasing. Minus the cheese and other condiments, this recipe is quite low in fat. If you have an hour on your hands, this would be a way to really impress lunch / dinner guests. Damn Food Ideas for coming up with it and not me!

INGREDIENTS

• 500g extra lean beef mince
• 4 medium (150g each) sebago potatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 small brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or minced
• 3 teaspoons dried mixed herbs
• 1 medium tomato, finely sliced
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil (liquid)
• a handful of baby spinach leaves, washed
• Optional- light grated cheese 

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Scrub potatoes well, with a brush, under cold water. Dry gently with a tea-towel and place on the baking tray. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender, if is, a knife can easily be inserted into the middle without any resistance. 

2. Whilst the potatoes are baking, combine the mince, herbs, tomato paste, onion and garlic in a large bowl, mixing well. With damp hands, shape the mince mixture into 4 even sized beef patties and flatten slightly. 

3. Heat  coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and add the patties, spacing them apart. Cook the burgers for 4 to 5 minutes on either side, making sure that no red colour remains (you may need to cut one patty apart to see this).  When beef is cooked, remove from heat. 

4. When potatoes are cooked, gently cut each in half. Place baby spinach and tomato on top of the potato base, along with a cooked beef patty and another potato half. You may need to use toothpicks to hold the burgers together. Serve with mayonnaise, tomato relish or tomato sauce if you wish. You are welcome to add cheese if not dairy intolerant. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 20 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 60 minutes / 1 hour 

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