Jamie’s Cracking Burgers

Ingredients
• 12 cream or plain crackers, such as Jacob’s
• 8 sprigs of fresh Italian parsley
• 2 heaped teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 pound good-quality ground beef
• 1 large egg, preferably free-range or organic
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil
• 1 romaine or butterhead lettuce
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 3 or 4 pickles
• 6 burger buns

Optional: 6 slices of Cheddar cheese

To make your burger:

Wrap the crackers in a kitchen towel and smash up until fine, breaking up any big bits with your hands, and put them into a large bowl .Finely chop the parsley, including the stalks. Add the parsley, mustard, and ground beef to the bowl. Crack in the egg and add a good pinch of salt and pepper. With clean hands, scrunch and mix everything up well. Divide into 6 and pat and mold each piece into a roundish shape about 3/4 inch thick. Drizzle the burgers with oil, put on a plate, cover and place in the refrigerator until needed (this helps them to firm up).

To cook your burger:

Preheat a large grill pan or frying pan for about 4 minutes on a high heat. Turn the heat down to medium. Place the burgers on the grill pan or in the frying pan and use a turner to lightly press down on them, making sure the burger is in full contact. Cook them to your liking for 3 or 4 minutes on each side — you may need to cook them in two batches.

To serve your burger:

Wash and dry a few small lettuce leaves, tearing up the larger ones

• Slice the tomatoes • Peel and finely slice the red onion • Slice the pickles lengthways as thinly as you can • Place all this on a platter and put in the middle of the table with plates, cutlery, ketchup, and drinks • Remove your burgers to another plate and carefully wipe your frying pan or grill pan clean with paper towels • Halve your burger buns and lightly toast them on the grill pan or in the frying pan • Also great with a chopped salad

Jamie says: PS I’d still make this quantity even if it was just for 4 people. I’d wrap the extra 2 burgers in plastic wrap and put them into the freezer.