Sometimes you end up making the best food when you’ve got absolutely nothing in the fridge and this delicious burger is the perfect example of exactly that! It all started one evening with an unexpected hankering for a mushroom cheeseburger. Unfortunately I only had the mushrooms available, so I did a bit of fridge-diving and came up with this delectable combination instead.

Luckily I knew there was still a bit of goat’s cheese leftover from when I last made my favourite quinoa salad; so that was cheese covered, but to be honest the thought of just mushrooms and goat’s cheese didn’t quite seem enough. I figured what this burger really needed was a punch of flavour, so I dove a little further and found some miso butter that had been lurking in the frozen depths of my freezer for the best part of a month. I knew the miso butter worked well with beef as I had been topping my steaks with it, so it wasn’t much of a leap to stick it on a burger patty instead. Punch of flavour? Most definitely sorted.

In terms of flavour, this burger just about has it all – the creamy goat’s cheese and fresh chives work a treat with the earthy mushrooms, whilst the salty miso butter with the juicy burger patty is the very definition of an umami moment.

This is definitely a case of fridge-diving come good, oh so good!

Beef Burgers with Mushrooms, Goat’s Cheese & Miso Butter: Serves 4

For the Hamburger Patties:

• 500g lean beef mince meat
• 1 spring onion, very finely chopped
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. dried mixed herbs
• 1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• Salt & pepper
• Basting Sauce

For the toppings:

• 100g soft goat’s cheese (I used Fairview’s Chevin)
• 250g brown mushrooms, sliced & sautéed
• 4 “discs” of miso butter
• 4 tbsp. chopped chives
• 4 burger buns

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine all the burger patty ingredients
2. Divide the meat mixture into four equal portions and using your hands, roll the meat into a ball
3. Place the rolled balls onto a plate, cover with cling-wrap and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours
4. Remove the burgers at least an hour before cooking to allow them to return to room temperature (this will help minimise shrinkage later)
5. Lightly cover the meat balls with some vegetable oil
6. Sandwich the balls between two sheets of wax paper and then press down until you have a patty that resembles what you’d consider a decent sized burger (I like mine flat and wide). I use a heavy rolling pin to flatten the patties out. Keep in mind that the patties will shrink as they cook
7. Without adding more oil, cook the patties on a hot griddle (preferably on a hot braai/barbeque) – about 2 to 3 minutes per side should do
8. Drizzle the burger buns with olive oil. Add to the hot griddle and toast lightly
9. Liberally baste the patties with the basting sauce in-between flips and just before serving

To assemble your burger:

1. Place the burger patty on top of your toasted bun
2. Now add the sautéed mushrooms and then top with the goat’s cheese
3. Place the disc of miso butter on the goat’s cheese and melt the butter slightly with a kitchen blow-torch or under a preheated grill for about a minute
4. Sprinkle over the chopped chives and serve immediately