The ultimate smash burgers

For the secret sauce

Ingredients · Servings 4

1 large onion thinly sliced
600g beef mince (at least 20% fat)
1 tbsp sunflower oil
American mustard for drizzling
8 burger cheese slices
4 burger buns of your choice
3 medium gherkins sliced lengthways
75g mayonnaise
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp American mustard
1 tbsp finely chopped gherkins plus 1 tsp brine from the jar
1-2 tsp hot sauce or to taste
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp garlic granules
splash of white wine vinegar
pinch of sugar

Method · 40 min

First, make the sauce. Stir all the ingredients together and season to taste, adding as much or as little hot sauce as you like, then chill until needed. Will keep chilled for up to two days.
Heat the oven to its lowest setting with a sturdy baking tray inside. Sprinkle a little salt over the onions, scrunch together to distribute evenly, and set aside. Divide the mince into eight loose balls (about 75g each) taking care not to overwork the meat. Season generously with salt and a little black pepper.
Heat a drizzle of the oil in a cast-iron or heavy frying pan over a high heat and put one beef ball in the centre. Top with a small handful of the onions, then cover with a square of baking parchment and press down as firmly as possible using a burger press, small saucepan or sturdy metal spatula. Hold for 1 min, then remove the press and parchment. Cook undisturbed for another minute so the burger develops a deep, dark crust and the onions steam into the meat.
Drizzle over a little mustard, then flip the patty over. Move it to the edge of the pan and top with a slice of cheese. Leave it to sizzle while the cheese melts. Meanwhile, smash a second beef ball in the centre of the pan as before.
When the second burger is ready to flip, drizzle with mustard as before, flip and top with cheese. Sit the first burger on top of it to make a double stack, then cook for 2 mins, or until the onions underneath are softened and charred. Transfer the burger stack to the tray in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining beef, onions, mustard and cheese to make four burger stacks.
Toast the cut sides of the buns in the beef cooking juices in the pan until golden. Spread half the burger sauce over the bun bases, then top each with a double burger stack and gherkin slices. Spread the remaining sauce over the cut side of the bun tops, then close the burgers and serve.

1 tbsp finely chopped gherkinsplus 1 tsp brine from the jar

1-2 tsp hot sauceor to taste

kcal961

fat64g

saturates24g

carbs47g

sugars8g

fibre4g

protein47g

salt3.1g