Smash Burgers with Crisp Smoked Pancetta, Swiss Cheese, Wild rocket and crispy onions
Ingredients
For the burger patties:
- 800g British beef mince, 20% fat
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to season
- 1 red onion, peeled and very thinly sliced
- 8 Swiss cheese slices
For the mayo:
- Reserved bacon fat
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 200g mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- Chopped parsley
- Chopped dill
- Chopped chives
For the burgers:
- 180g British dry cured and thinly sliced pancetta, air dried and smoked
- 4 brioche buns
- 120g chili jam
- 30g wild rocket
- 8 dill pickle slices
- 50g crispy onions
Method
To make the burger patties:
Divide the beef mince into 800g balls. Heat a large heavy-bottomed frying pan, add two balls to the pan spaced well apart, then using a suitable utensil, carefully smash the balls until less than 1cm thick and season well. Top each patty with some sliced red onion and press into the burger. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until well caramelised, then flip and cook for a further 2 minutes. Top each patty with a slice of Swiss cheese and stack one on top of the other. Transfer to a tray lined with baking parchment in a warm oven and repeat for the remaining patties.
To make the garlic herb mayo:
First cook the streaky bacon in a large frying pan on a medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon and keep warm, then add the chopped garlic to the pan with the bacon fat and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden; remove from the heat. Add the garlic and bacon fat to a small mixing bowl along with the mayonnaise, mustard and chopped herbs and mix until combined.
To serve:
Toast the brioche buns. Add a spoon of chili jam to the bottom of the bun followed by the rocket, top with the smash patties, pickles and the crispy bacon. Add the garlic herb mayo to the top bun followed by the crispy onions, place on top and enjoy.