Pork, Apple and Chilli Burgers with Garlic Roast Potatoes

There is nothing difficult about making burgers at home and, in this way, they are far more nutritious and enjoyable than any from a Fast Food restaurant or a supermarket. The added beauty of making burgers at home is that we can be so creative, not only in the type of meat which we use to make the burgers, but in the additional ingredients which we add to them.

I have made these pork, apple and chilli burgers many times over the years and although I would not go so far as to say that they are one of my favourite foods, they are probably my favourite type of burger that I have thus far created.

This recipe is for two (hungry) people and is prepared from start to finish in around thrity-five to forty minutes.

Ingredients

- Burgers

1lb minced/ground free range, organic pork
1 Granny Smith apple
1/2 small onion (finely chopped)
1 clove of garlic (crushed or grated)
1 small red chilli pepper (very finely chopped - deseeding is optional)
1 small egg
2 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

- Garlic and Herb Mayonnaise

2 tbsp low fat mayonnaise
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 garlic clove (crushed or grated)

- Potatoes

14 to 16 baby potatoes
1 clove of garlic (crushed)
Salt
1 tbsp sunflower oil

- Garnish

1 tomato
Sprig of fresh parsley

Method

The first step in this recipe is to prepare your garlic and herb mayo. This is in order to allow the flavours to permeate through the mayo and ensure it is enjoyed at its very best. This step can even be taken the night before, or earlier in the day. Simply mix the three ingredients well together in a small bowl, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate until required.

The potatoes should then be added to a pot with a little salt and enough boiling water to cover them - note that they should not be peeled. They should be simmered for fifteen minutes while the oven heats. The sunflower oil should then be added to a baking tray which should be placed in the oven and the oven put on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6.

Once the potatoes are on to boil, the burgers should be prepared. Note that if the seeds of the chilli are incorporated, the burgers will be a lot spicier.

All of the burger ingredients should be added to a large mixing bowl or basin, with the exception of the apple. The apple should be cored and four slices about 1/4" thick cut from the centre for later frying. It is imperative that these slices be immediately immersed in a small bowl of cold water, to prevent them from turning brown. The remainder of the apple should then be peeled, finely chopped and added to the other burger ingredients.

The burger ingredients should then be mixed very thoroughly by hand, before being divided in to four portions, rolled in to balls and flattened in to patties.

When the oven is heated, the potatoes should be drained thoroughly and added to the tray of hot oil. They should then be gently and carefully shaken around in the oil to ensure even coating before being placed in the oven for a total of twenty minutes' cooking time.

A little sunflower oil should be added to a non-stick frying pan and the burgers added to be fried for ten minutes each side. After the burgers are turned, the potatoes should be removed from the oven and the tray once again gently shaken.

When the burgers are ready, they should be removed from the frying pan to a plate and the two apple slices added to the vacated pan. The heat should be turned up to high and the slices fried for about one minute each side. While the apple slices are frying, the potaotes should be removed from the oven and added to a colander lined with kitchen paper to drain. They should then be placed in to a bowl with a crushed garlic clove and gently swirled around to obtain a garlic coating.

It is then time to plate up the meal by placing the apple slices on to the plates, the burgers on top, a slice of tomato on top of each burger and a teaspoonful of the mayo on top, garnished with a little bit of parsley. The potatoes should be added alongside.

Roast Pork with Pear Sauce and Roast Potatoes

Roast Pork is a traditional family favourite but is of course more commonly served with apple sauce, rather than pear sauce. This was a recipe idea which actually occurred to me in the supermarket last night when I was unable to get one of the ingredients for the dish I intended to make. I am quite happy, however, to leave that dish for another time and share here my idea for Roast Pork with Pear Sauce and Roast Potatoes.

Ingredients

1 joint of pork, suitable for roasting
(Remaining ingredients are per person)
6 or 7 baby new potatoes
1 tbsp frozen peas
1/2 pear
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp caster sugar
Small pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
Cold water
Salt

Method

The first step is clearly to roast the pork. Place the pork either on a baking tray and cover it with aluminium foil or in a roasting tin. Put it in to the oven, pre-heated to 375F/190C/Gas Mark 5, for 35 minutes per pound and a half hour over and above this time. Uncover the pork for the last half hour of the cooking time to let the crackling crisp up.

Fifteen minutes before the pork is ready, place the potatoes, whole and unpeeled, in to some boiling salted water to parboil. Peel and chop the pear in to small cubes, discarding the skin and the core. Put the pear in to a small saucepan with the sugar, nutmeg and lemon juice and enough cold water to just cover the pears. Bring to a boil and simmer gently until all other items are ready, stirring occasionally.

When the pork is ready, check that it is indeed cooked all the way through by ensuring the juices run clear and then sit it aside to rest while you prepare the remainder of the ingredients.

Drain the potatoes well and add them to the roasting tin or tray along with the still hot pork juices. Gently tilt the tray backwards and forwards to ensure the potatoes are evenly covered in the juices and put back in to the oven for fifteen minutes. When the potatoes are done, sit them on some kitchen paper to drain and cook the frozen peas in boiling water for three minutes.

It remains then only to plate up your meal. Note that the cooking time in this recipe will leave the pear sauce fairly chunky, but a longer cooking time will result in a smoother finish.

Cheesey Pork Fillet with Garlic Roast Potatoes

The most important thing to remember when cooking pork is that it must never be underdone. Just like chicken and unlike such as beef, pork must be cooked all the way through to eliminate the risk of food poisoning. This recipe includes first cooking the pork and then adding a delicious cheese and sage topping as a finishing touch.

Ingredients

1 pork leg fillet
1 large potato (unpeeled and chopped)
1 tbsp frozen peas
1 clove of garlic (crushed)
1oz cheddar (or other hard) cheese (grated or shredded)
Pinch of dried sage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp sunflower oil and a little more for frying

Method

Place a baking tray in to the oven and put the oven on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6. Chop the potato in to bite-sized portions and put them in a large bowl with the sunflower oil and some salt. Swirl them around to ensure even coating with the oil and salt. Tip the potatoes on to the preheated baking tray and put them in to the oven for a total of thirty minutes, taking them out to give them a gentle shake and ensure even cooking every ten minutes. Set the bowl aside (unwashed) for later use.

When the potatoes have been on for ten minutes, put a little sunflower in a non-stick frying pan and bring it up to a medium heat. Fry the pork fillet gently for ten minutes each side or until done. Set aside to rest.

When the fillet is cooked, the potatoes should have about five minutes to go. Add the garlic to the unwashed bowl then remove the potatoes from the oven and add them also to the bowl. Swirl or stir them in the garlic mix to cover them, then return to the tray and the oven for five more minutes. Adding the garlic at this late stage prevents it from becoming over-cooked and tasting bitter.

Mix the cheese with the sage and some freshly ground black pepper. Carefully press the mix down on top of the pork fillet and place the fillet on to a grill pan and under a hot grill until the cheese melts and begins to bubble.

The frozen peas should be cooked per the instructions on the packet, usually by boiling them in water for two to three minutes.

Plate up your meal as shown and serve immediately.

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