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These aren't just any oven baked fries! I coated these with crushed up...Corn Flakes (along with spices and olive oil)! |
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My burger ingredients, a couple things are missing from this picture, such as an onion, mixed vegetable seasoning,
a handful of bread crumbs and a splash of milk. Whoops! |
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I love egg shells. I have a collection of them, no kidding! They're great for the garden ;) |
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I read somewhere that one should grate the onion when making burger patties. I decided to try it out... |
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It didn't work so well. Just over half way through grating - onion juices flying every which way and even in my eye, it just fell apart.
I decided that hand mincing was best. |
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I asked Rich's mum how she makes her burgers and what makes them so yummy. She told me ketchup! So here I am adding a good squeeze of this sweet and tangy goodness. :) |
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Along with some woorcesssistertsshhhriirieee sauce |
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and a touch of smoke. |
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I added these to the eggs, to you know..get even distribution without over mashing the beef. Beat the eggs and add... |
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...some of this stuff! I think my dad picked this up at a farmer's market sometime ago. It's basically puréed garlic with spices, peppers,
oil and vinegar. I could have totally made this without shelling out $7 and so can you! |
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Like a delicious mess. |
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Thanks to the local Zellers closing down, they were selling off a lot of their "café" items. I happened to be there on the right day and picked up a box of these for 50¢! 'Cause you know, I'll totally be making a thousand burger patties. Maybe in my life time..ha
...probably not! I also bought a 2 ounce restaurant ladle for 50¢. These were both impulse purchases, you see. The box of paper was labeled $6 and when the lady said to, "Ignore the price" and that "everything on that shelf is half a dollar!" I just had to buy.
You never know! I might want to go fancy and ladle exactly 2 ounces of gravy on my fries! Potion control, duh. |
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So, just as soon as you think you're done with your meaty mixture - take a little piece and cook it. Eat it. Does it taste good?
Is it lacking anything? Tweak and adjust to your liking. Cook and taste, again. Repeat if necessary! |
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This is how I make them patties all the same look'n. What is this contraption that I'm using, you ask?
A lid covered in plastic wrap! Just fill it up with the burger mix, flatten it and plunk on parchment paper. |
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When you're done, you'll have (for the most part) uniform sized burgers ready for the grill/pan/freezer! That package of meat cost $7.70
and I got 16 good sized patties out of it! Sweet deal! |
There's just no beating home made burgers. I like the frozen stuff too and eat them quite frequently actually, as they're super easy and ready to go, but when you make them yourself, it just tastes different and feels different. I also like the fact that you can adjust the flavours to your liking. I've made burgers with jerk seasoning in them - so good! Or, you can make them simple with just a with of pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Flavours are limitless. Whatever you do, KEEP THAT SODIUM AWAY from your ground beef mixture! Here's
why.
Salt during or after your burgers are cooked. You're welcome.
I topped my burger with
kim chi and paired it with lettuce and a good slathering of mayo. You must think I'm gross. Yes? No? It doesn't matter, because it was delicious and you
must try. Then there was that puny little salad on the side. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it was cool, crisp and refreshing. A nice contrast to salty and spicy fermented cabbage. ;)
The baked fries are simple enough. Yellow potatoes, washed well, cut into sticks, add a glug or two of olive oil, season (salt, garlic, herbs, paprika &c.), add crushed Corn Flakes and toss to coat. Pour them on a foil lined tray and shove in the oven at 400F until golden on the outside and tender/fluffy inside. Why in did I add cereal to my fries? The answer is- because I still have a huge box of it in my kitchen that no one seems to be consuming. Corn Flakes equals crunch, so why not!? Was it a good addition? Heck yeah. I think I'll do it every time I make oven fries now! It'll be our little secret, okay?
We (four of us) ate 5 out of the 16 burgers made and the rest went into the freezer. Fast food for next time!