Newie looking to impress the wife :)

[phil_uk]

I have decided to try and teach myself to cook so i want to start with something simple. I want to cook some home cooked burgers / potatoes wedges with a salad and dressing.

I have seen so many recipes for doing this all are different i wondered if someone could suggest something easy? Should i bind the bugers with egg or mix make them and put them in the fridge to harden before cooking?

I dont want to fry if possible i would prefer to grill if possible.

Thanks in advance for any advise..

Phil

 

[GB]

There is no reason to use egg to bind a burger. The key to a good burger is to use ground meat that has a decent amount of fat in it. You do not want to get the lean stuff for burgers.

You also want to handle the burgers as little as possible. Don't mix and mix and mix. Just do it enough to incorporate the flavors you want. At the minimum you can use just salt, but you can add almost any other flavors you like. Some examples are garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, worceershire sauce, horseradish, etc.

Make patties with your hand without squeezing the meat (as best you can). Pre-heat your grill nice and hot. I make my burgers pretty big (half pounders) and what I will do it through them on a pre-heated hot grill and then after a minute or two I will turn off the heat directly under the burgers and just use indirect heat to cook them the rest of the way.

Only flip them once and whatever you do, do NOT push down on them with your spatula. Sure it makes a great sizzle sound, but that sound it all that great juice and flavor leaving your burger. The less you touch it the better it will be.

 

[Barb L.]

I agree with everything GB has said - I flip my burgers when I can see the juices on top coming through, add cheese, let it melt with lid down then take out - done ! (I usually get three patties out of a pound of meat)

Welcome to DC, enjoy a great site !

 

[phil_uk]

thanks, i guess i need to go buy some more mince

 

[GB]

I you already have lean stuff then just buy a little bit of fatty mince. Combine the two. That way you will have good flavor from the lean and good moisture from the fat.

 

[phil_uk]

right i am off shopping i also plan to do chesse wedges (oil, grated Parmesan cheese and paprika)

Hopefully it will be nice, i will take pics and post them no matter the result and also write what i did for all to comment on.

Wish me luck....

 

[GB]

Best of luck Phil. You will do great.

 

[Barb L.]

You will be just fine and your wife will be so surprized, please do let us know how it came out, luck to ya Phil !!

 

[phil_uk]

Hi All

So now the update

It went well... I was not happy with how i presented it nor the salad so all suggestions welcome. I also was disapointed with how the wedges looked all different sizes but i didnt know how best to cut them.

Pics first


Potato Wedges

1/2 a smal cup of sun flower oil
1/2 tsp of praprika
2 tbsp of Parmesan cheese

(all mixed together and then brushed over the wedges, baked for about 45 mins on a high oven, turning twice and brushing as they cooked)

Salad

2 tomatoes sliced
2 chunks of cucumer diced
couple of iceburg lettce leaves
french dressing

French dressing

1/4 white wine vinger
3/4 olive oil
pinch of caster sugar
pinch of mixed herbs

Shake well


Burger's

500g of mince (pagkage said around 20% fat)
pinch of onion powder

gently made into 2 patties and put into the fridge for an hour as i had to go out, grilled under high heat for about 7 mins turned once and didnt flatten.


Didnt posion the wife so that was a positive thing

All comments good and bad welcome...

 

[MenuPlanningCentral]

I think your presentation is beautiful. The salad dressing recipe sounds a little plain - you need some really good oil and vinegar for it to taste right. Personally I've been going back to bottled dressings. You could also try adding some darker leave lettuce to your salad (like baby spinach) and cut a little yellow pepper in it for another burst of color.

I'll have to try those potato wedges. They look and sound so yummy.

 

[KitchenSally]

Nice job Phil. I'm sure your wife was very pleased.

For presentation, personally, I like the pic with wedges along side rather than fanned out. That burger looks darn tasty.

Hope you continue to have fun in the kitchen.

 

[Barb L.]

You did good Phil, keep on cooking, and enjoy as you learn.

 

[kitchenelf]

The only problem I see is I didn't get any!

Add about 1/2 tsp of Dijon mustard to your dressing along with a minced clove of garlic - it's amazing what the Dijon does for the flavor. I like a simple dressing such as you made. It's all about the herbs. My suggestions just give you another dressing option. You may have and didn't mention it but I also would add some salt and pepper to it, white pepper would be nice versus black pepper too.

I also add some olive oil, fresh finely minced garlic, kosher salt, horseradish from a jar, and Worcestershire Sauce to my burgers - just another idea for you.

Another idea for potato wedges is melt some butter with some minced rosemary and garlic and a bit of salt then drizzle on them when plated.

Nice job! Thanks for the pics too!

 

[GotGarlic]

Hi, Phil. Sounds and looks great

Personally, I like to cut up all salad ingredients into bite-size pieces (about 1.5 inches at most), because I love salad and like to just dig in without cutting it up I also like to add chopped roasted red peppers and capers and sprinkle it with some shredded cheese. My local grocery has a mixture of shredded Parmesan, Asiago and Romano that I like, and I also recently discovered that I love fresh, cubed avocado on a salad.

This is a great beginning, Phil. I'm sure your wife was very pleased.

 

[kitchenelf]

GotGarlic reminded me - if you cut up your tomatoes and cucumbers into small squares you can marinate them in the salad dressing. Then when you are ready to serve just top your chopped greens with the mixture. Spring onions would be a nice addition as would celery, all of which can be marinated with the tomatoes and cukes.

 

[Toots]

These burgers look great! Next time for the salad, try something besides iceburg (baby greens or rocket). Good job Phil!

 

[BreezyCooking]

Phil - I'd dine with you & your wife anytime!!!

My only suggestion would be - & this is just a personal preference - that for just a few ingredients - like lettuce, tomatoes, & cukes - I'd make everything bite-size, including the lettuce, & toss it with the dressing. The salad as you presented it is fine, but a bit awkward to eat - especially when served with finger foods like burgers & fries (wedges &/or chips, as you say).

 

[Andy M.]

Congratulations on your first success.

For a pound of ground beef, a pinch of onion powder is not enough. Try a teaspoon. Also consider some garlic powder and fresh ground black pepper and salt.

For the potatoes, coat them thoroughly with plain oli then sprinklethem with the paprika and cheese. Turn them once. No need to brush on more oil. You don't want to keep opening the oven.

Consider Boston or romaine lettuce for the salad. The cucumber pieces should be smaller than the tomatoes.

 

[phil_uk]

hi all thanks for all the comments i will these next time, probably later this week or next.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Ok Phil...

Ya cooked the burgers! What I want to know is, Did you impress her????