Burger with Feta and Guacamole

Who doesn’t love them, burgers? I believe that there are as many different burger recipes as there are people living in Austria. Not only do we love our burgers in the BBQ season, but we also enjoy burgers grilled in the oven, burgers bought on the beach, and so on. What I love so much about burgers is the wide variety of recipes that exist. You can make them with beef, chicken, pork, fish, mushrooms, beans, vegetables and a million other ingredients. And I also love the various ‘sidekicks’ it is served with in all the different parts of the world.

Here in Austria, for example, we use slightly different recipes than the ones usually used in the United States. My grandmother used to serve our burgers with parsley-potatoes and green salad. Oh, it was an absolute delight, when she would make them for me and my sister. They were juicy and tasty on the inside and so crispy on the outside. And the salty potatoes, tossed in melted butter and parsley! It was a divine match! And to be honest, I still love to make my granny’s recipe. I’ll definitely pass it on to you one day.

Not today, though. 😉 It’s summer and we love to have a BBQ in the garden. So it’s time for BBQ-style burgers. Today’s recipe includes feta cheese, which gives them a special flavor, and I combine them with guacamole. The creamy texture of the avocados and the summery taste of tomatoes and spring onions is the perfect complement to the burgers.

These burgers are barbecued, but of course you an also make them in the oven or in a griddle pan on the stove.

For the burger buns I used wholemeal flour (one-grained wheat, to be exact) and I substituted the sugar with agave syrup. Of course you can also use white flour, in which case you should use about 50 ml (1/4 cup) less water. What is also important, allow the dough to rise well. This usually takes 3-4 hours!

Well then, let’s get started!

Burger with Feta and Guacamole

700 g (1 ½ pounds) minced beef
1 onion
1 egg
1 teaspoon of salt (or more, according to your taste)
some pepper
1 ½ teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon caraway (ground)
1 teaspoon mustard powder (alternatively 2 teaspoons mustard)
½ – 1 teaspoon chili powder (according to your taste)
2 teaspoons dried or fresh thyme
4 cloves of garlic
150 g feta cheese (crumbled)
4 thick slices of cheddar cheese
some olive oil

4 burger buns (see recipe below, or shop-bought buns)
some lettuce
1-2 tomatoes
guacamole (see recipe below)

Peel and chop the onion. Heat some olive oil in a pan and fry the onions. Allow to cool a bit. Put the beef in a large bowl. Add the egg, the spices and the herbs and the onions and use your fingers to combine everything very well. Crumble the feta cheese over the beef (crumble it very thoroughly as you don’t want big chunks) and combine everything with your fingers again.

Make four burgers (almost an inch thick) and sprinkle some olive oil over them. Gently rub the oil into the burgers.

Use direct, medium to high heat to barbecue the burgers (about 4-5 minutes on each side). Then put the halved burger buns onto the grill and put a slice of cheddar cheese on each burger. Close the lid of the barbecue and let the cheese melt and the buns get toasted (about 2 minutes).

Put a lettuce leaf on the lower half of a bun, put the burger on top. Garnish with tomatoes and guacamole then finish off with the second half of the burger bun.

Guacamole

2 avocados
½ lime (juice)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt, pepper, chili powder
1 tomato (deseeded and finely chopped)
1 spring onion (finely chopped)

Halve the avocados, peel them and remove the stones. Squash the avocados with a fork (if they are soft, which they should be! If they are not, you’d better use a food processor). Add the other ingredients and combine well. Season according to your taste.

Burger Buns

Makes about 8 burger buns (you can freeze the ones you don’t need)

500 g (4 cups) whole meal flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 sachet (7 g) dried yeast
80 ml (1/3 cup) warm milk
150 ml (2/3 cup) warm water
1 tablespoon agave syrup (or honey or sugar)
2 eggs (at room temperature)
80 ml (1/3 cup) melted butter
1 egg white and some sesame to coat the buns before baking

It is easiest to make the dough for the burger buns with a large stand mixer or a food processor with a kneading blade. If you don’t have one, you can also make it by hand. You will have to knead the dough thoroughly (for about 10 minutes), even if it feels very soft. (You can skip the long kneading procedure if you prepare the dough a day ahead. Shortly knead the dough with a wooden spoon in a large bowl, then cover the bowl with cling foil and leave to rest in a cool place overnight. Before you continue making the buns on the next day the dough should have reached room temperature again!)

Well, here’s how the buns are made. Combine all the dry ingredients in the bowl of the mixer or food processor. Whisk the milk, water, syrup and eggs in a separate bowl until well combined. Pour this mixture as well as the melted butter into the flour and start the food processor. Knead the dough for several minutes. Remove the kneading blade and cover the bowl with some cling foil. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for three to four hours.

When the volume of the dough has doubled in size turn the dough onto a floured surface. Use some extra flour to form a smooth ball. Then cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll them into buns. At this stage they will not have reached the final size yet. Put the buns on a baking tray and cover them with a kitchen towel. Allow to rise again for almost an hour. After this time they will have increased in size. Mix the egg white with a tablespoon of water and use a brush to coat the buns. Sprinkle some sesame on top of the buns.

Bake in the preheated oven (200°C, 400°F, gas mark 6) for about 15-20 minutes.

And finally, here are the recipes for printing: