Spicy beef burgers with pecans and blue cheese

INGREDIENTS

For the beef patties:

• 500g lean minced beef
  2 teaspoons horseradish cream
  1 teaspoon hot English mustard
  ½ large brown onion peeled and finely diced
  3 cloves of garlic, minced
  ½ cup pecans, finely chopped
  1 long green chilli, finely chopped
  Handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
  Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the blue cheese sauce:

• 1 cup sour cream
  50g blue cheese (I used Cashel Blue)
  1 tablespoon milk
  Juice ½ lemon
  1 tablespoon light olive oil
  Freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

• Crusty bread rolls
  Lettuce
  Tomato, thinly sliced
  Pickles/gherkins
  Fries

METHOD

To make the beef patties:

1. Add all ingredients into a mixing bowl to form the burger mixture.
2. Split mixture into 4 equal balls, press into a round 9cm/3.75” cookie cutter to form 4 burger patties then place on a tray lined with non-stick baking paper, cover with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
3. After 1 hour, remove from fridge and brown in a lightly-oiled frying pan for a minute or two all over, then transfer to a baking dish and finish cooking in a preheated oven set to 180˚C/350˚F, for 10 – 12 minutes until meat is cooked through, or to your liking.

To make the blue cheese sauce:

1. Place all ingredients together in a jar and shake well to combine.
2. Serve burger in crusty warm bread rolls with blue cheese sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickles and fries.