Classic beef cheeseburger

If you’ve read the bun recipe, you know I had a late-night FIFA tournament yesterday. And as you can imagine, you want a good lining for your stomach before a tournament like that. A cheeseburger fits the bill. Though we usually end up ordering pizza about halfway through the game anyway.

So I had the meat for this burger, but no bun. It was quite a laugh, first hunting down powdered milk (for the buns) and then just waiting and wondering, “Will this actually work?” Against all appearances, it did. So making the cheeseburger itself was a doddle.

I spent a little while wondering what sort to make (what to put on it, I mean), but I went for a classic. I didn’t have much time, so I decided the operation had to be quick and efficient. Preferably with no casualties. Mind you, frying that meat does stink the place up a bit.

Basically it’s the same burger they sell you for twenty-odd złoty at all those trendy burger joints. Can you make it yourself? You bet. Even the buns. Give it a go.

At a glance:

Prep time: 7 minutes (a very quick meal if you’ve got a bun)

Serves: 1 bloke (and any number of women on a diet)

How many calories? Check at McDonald’s. Apparently they put it on the wrapper nowadays

Ingredients for a very classic burger:

• 120 grams of minced beef (best if it’s been in the fridge for a bit beforehand)
• 1 bun (buy one if you don’t feel like making your own)
• two iceberg lettuce leaves
• a teaspoon of mild ketchup
• a teaspoon of mustard (pick one you like)
• two slices of cucumber
• two slices of tomato
• one medium spring onion (if you don’t like onion, leave it out)
• 1 slice of American imitation cheese (I had Hochland cheddar)
• salt
• olive oil

The recipe (quick and easy, though it does smell a bit):

I’ve got buns because I made my own, so I start by splitting one in half. I heat the tiniest drop of olive oil in a frying pan and put the halves in cut side down, just to brown them lightly on the inside (and let them soak up a drop of oil).

Meanwhile I get the burger fixings ready. I slice the cucumber, tomato and spring onion. I mix the mustard with the ketchup and a drop of olive oil. I fold the lettuce leaves into squares about the size of the bun. I shape the minced beef into a ball.

Once the bun is toasted, I take it out onto a plate and turn up the heat (on my scale of 1 to 10, up to 8). I put the ball of meat in the very hot pan and sprinkle salt over the top. After about 15 seconds I start pressing the meat down with a spatula to form a round patty (about 1 cm thick). I sprinkle on a pinch of salt and flip it after a minute. Another pinch of salt on top, and after a minute I flip it again.

The burger is pretty much done (whether it’s well done or a bit juicier depends on whether you press down on it while it fries and how hard. Suit yourself. Some people don’t like blood on their plate).

Now, nice and quick: half the mustard and ketchup sauce on the bottom bun, then the lettuce and the hot burger. I put the slice of cheese on top and wait a moment for it to start melting. Only then do I add the extras: onion, tomato and cucumber. I spread the rest of the sauce on the top half of the bun and pop it on to finish my lightning-fast cheeseburger. Enjoy!