Kiwi Burger

Ingredients

Patties

• 600 gbeef mince, about twenty per cent fat
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspground black pepper
• 1 tbspWorcestershire sauce

Beetroot

• 1 tinsliced beetroot, drained
• or 2 fresh beetroot, boiled and sliced

To build

• 4soft burger buns
• 4 slicesof mild cheddar
• 4eggs
• 1onion, sliced into rings
• 4rashers of streaky bacon, if wanted
• lettuce leaves
• 2tomatoes, sliced
• sliced beetroot
• butter, for the buns

Sauce

• tomato sauce
• mayonnaise
• a little mustard

To serve

• hot chips

Directions

1. Drain it and pat the slices dry on kitchen paper. Wet beetroot slides out of the burger and soaks the bun through. Use mince with a good fat content, around twenty per cent. Lean mince gives a dry patty however carefully you cook it.
2. Mix the salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce through the mince. Divide it into four and shape each into a patty. Make them slightly wider than the buns, since they shrink. Press a dent into the centre of each with your thumb. The dent stops the patty doming up as it cooks. Chill them for ten minutes so they hold together. Now cooking, which is done on a hot flat surface.
3. Heat a heavy pan or a flat griddle over a high heat. Lay the patties down and do not move them. Cook them for three or four minutes until a crust forms. Turn them once and cook the other side for the same time. Lay a slice of cheese on each patty after turning. Let it melt over the last minute of cooking. Move them to a warm plate and let them rest.
4. Fry the bacon in the same pan until crisp. Set it aside on paper to drain. Add the onion rings to the pan with the rendered fat. Cook them for six minutes until soft and browned at the edges. Push them to one side and keep them warm. Crack an egg into the pan for each burger.
5. Fry them until the white is set but the yolk is still soft. Do not turn them, since the yolk should stay whole. Toast them face down on the griddle for a minute. Spread sauce and mayonnaise on the bottom bun.
6. Lay the lettuce down first, which shields the bun from the juices. Add the tomato slices over the lettuce. Put the cheese-topped patty on next. Lay the bacon over the patty if you have it. Add the fried onions over the bacon. Lay the beetroot slices on top of the onions. Put the fried egg on last, yolk intact.
7. Add more sauce to the top bun and close it. Now serving, which needs paper. Wrap the bottom half in paper so it can be held. Serve it immediately with hot chips. It is a messy burger by design and should be eaten over the wrapper.

Technique

• Pat the beetroot dry, since wet slices soak the bun through.
• Toast the buns, which seals them against the beetroot juice and the yolk.
• Put lettuce down first as a shield between the bun and the wet fillings.

Substitutions

• Fresh boiled beetroot, though tinned pickled is what is actually used.
• Any mild melting cheese in place of cheddar.

Variations

• With a fried pineapple ring added.
• Without bacon, which is the plainer standard version.
• With a lamb patty, which some shops offer.

History

The takeaway-shop standard since the mid-century; McDonald’s New Zealand adopted it as a menu item in 1991.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kiwi Burger?

Kiwi Burger is a street food from New Zealand: beef burger with beetroot, fried egg, cheese and salad in a bun. The takeaway-shop standard since the mid-century; McDonald’s New Zealand adopted it as a menu item in 1991.

How long does Kiwi Burger take to make?

Kiwi Burger takes 25 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 burgers. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Kiwi Burger?

Yes, within limits. Fresh boiled beetroot, though tinned pickled is what is actually used. Any mild melting cheese in place of cheddar.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kiwi Burger?

Heat a heavy pan or a flat griddle over a high heat. Lay the patties down and do not move them. Cook them for three or four minutes until a crust forms. Turn them once and cook the other side for the same time. Lay a slice of cheese on each patty after turning. Let it melt over the last minute of cooking. Move them to a warm plate and let them rest.