Blue Cheese Stuffed Burgers

After the success with the lamb koftas. I decided to try something similar with beef.

You will need:
500g lean beef steak mince
3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
1 small grated red onion
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
3 dessert spoons of crumbled blue cheese

Mix everything except the blue cheese together in a bowl. scoop a palmful and make a dip in the middle, fill it with blue cheese and spread a small amount of the mince mixture over the top to seal the cheese inside. Shape into burger shape patties, you should have enough to make 5 burgers.

Cook in either a big frying pan or a griddle pan for 5 mins each side.
Serve on a toasted bun with whatever garnishes you like. Juicy and full of flavour!

Enjoy.

Lamb Koftas

Finally a recipe! Sorry I've been a bit quiet, lots going on and an appaling oven at our new house haven't really been inspiring me. All this wintery weather persisting is making me hanker for both junk food and summer barbeques. This recipe hits those spots with a homemade version of a kebab shop classic. Full of greek seasonings and a juicy tasty treat- guaranteed not to contain horse ( british joke only! )

You will need:

400g minced lamb
1 red onion (grated)
1 teaspoon garlic granules
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried coriander
1 tablespn olive oil
3 tablespns breadcrumbs
1 tsp sesame seeds
pinch of cayenne pepper
big pinch of salt and black pepper

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl and shape into small sausage shapes - if you start off with a ball between a golf ball and a tennins ball each time you should be able to make 12  koftas. Mine were shaped with the help of a 6 year old so did vary slightly! Cover on a plate and chill for ten minutes (or until you're ready to cook).

I used a griddle pan but a big frying pan would work fine. Bring to a high heat and cook 6 koftas at a time (turn after they have developed a dark crust) until they are cooked all the way around.

I think a tasty yoghurt based raita-esque drizzle is great with these and much tastier to make than it is to buy!

You will need:
small pot of plain yoghurt
1 spring onion (chopped as fine as you can)
1 tsp of mint sauce
big pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 tsp granulated garlic


Serve wrapped with salad leaves in a soft tortilla or pitta with drizzle of minty yoghurt and a side of sweet potato wedges. No photo as I was too busy scoffing to remember! Apologies, I will post one next time!

Garlic and thyme potato chunks with crispy shallots

This is a quick and easy side but it does require a deep fat fryer  You could try putting a good inch of oil in a saucepan but I did use a pan with a basket inside and about 3 inches deep of vegetable oil.

Leave the skins on and chunk up 4-5 potatoes (roughly 1 inch cubes) , cut out any bad bits (I used maris pipers) and put them in a big bowl. Sprinkle over garlic granules and dried thyme, turn the potatoes over with your hands to make sure they're all coated. Slice a couple of shallots into rings and add those to the bowl.

Heat up your oil to 180°c (I used my sugar thermometer) or until it fizzels when you drop in a bit of shallot. Put in the potatoes and shallots and cook until the potato is golden brown. Tip out onto a sheet of kitchen towel to drain.

Sprinkle with salt. Enjoy.