Frugal Feasts 2

Burgers get Stuffed... and a Mexican Slaw

This is another budget recipe but one you can use throughout the year, especially for barbeques if we are lucky this year and get to see some sunshine. Minced meat is often on special offer at supermarkets, we found our beef reduced to £1.50 for 500g and our freezer is rammed with yellow sticker reduced products as neither of us can refuse a bargain. Try to get good quality minced beef with at least 15% fat, it really does make a difference in a burger helping to keep it moist whilst cooking.

Habanero chillies are very hot and they make these burgers a little bit special but you may want to try the recipe using half the amount if you’re not a seasoned chilli fiend but the cooling goat’s cheese tempers the heat a little... go on be brave, they are worth it.

We serve these with a mexican coleslaw, potato wedges and my own hot barbeque sauce aptly entitled ‘Idiot Juice’. I’ll post that recipe in time for barbecue season as I’m playing around with the recipe in time for the summer.

The burgers and slaw come in just under £5.00

Ingredients

For the burgers

1 large onion
500g minced beef
1 clove garlic, grated
50g breadcrumbs
2 tsp oregano
1 habanero chilli, very finely chopped
1 egg
Salt and pepper
1 goats cheese log (roughly 125g)

Method

• Finely chop the onion and fry in a little oil until translucent. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Add minced beef, garlic, breadcrumbs, oregano, 1/2 the habanero chilli and cooled onions to a bowl and mix well, season with salt and pepper. Add beaten egg and mix again.
• Put goats cheese into a separate bowl, add the remaining chopped habanero, salt and pepper and mix well. Roll into 8 equally sized balls.
• To assemble, make the mince mixture into 8 balls, press your thumb firmly into each ball to make a well and place a goat’s cheese ball into each well. Bring the meat mixture up over the cheese to completely cover and pat into burger shapes. Chill until needed, but at least 30 minutes..
• I cook the burgers on a medium heat using a chargrill pan but a frying pan with a little oil will be fine. Cook for 5-6 minutes on each side. Check one burger as timings will vary depending on the size of your burgers.
• 
  

For the slaw

1/4 white cabbage, finely sliced
1 large red onion, finely sliced
2 carrots, finely sliced
1 red or green mild chilli, chopped finely
1/2 small pot natural yoghurt
2 tsp mustard, I use dijon or wholegrain
2 tsp mayonnaise
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1 tsp honey

Method

• Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well, season to taste.
• Enjoy.