MUSHROOM AND BLUE CHEESE BURGER

Ingredients (makes 4)

FOR THE BURGER

• 500 g lean beef mince (or 4 high-quality hamburger patties)
• 4 hamburger rolls
• olive oil 
• 1 tomato, sliced
• Salad leaves
  
  FOR THE SAUCE
• 1 punnet DENNY brown mushrooms
• 1 punnet DENNY button mushrooms
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (crushed and chopped)
• plain cream cheese (1 tub will be enough)
• 1 cup fresh cream
• 1 block (about 100g) blue cheese

Method

1. Convert the 500 g lean beef mince into four equally sized, 100% pure-beef patties. Pure mince binds perfectly for a great patty – don’t add anything like onion, breadcrumbs, egg, spices, salt or pepper. Your two recently washed hands are entirely capable of forming patties from mince but a patty press makes the job even easier.
2. Chop all of the brown and button mushrooms and heat oil in your pan or potjie. Sauté  the onion until soft, add the garlic and mushrooms. Fry until the mushrooms are cooked and have spat out their excess water and that water has started to reduce.
3. Add the cream cheese and cream, stir it in, Crumble the blue cheese into the mushroom mixture and let this simmer on low heat for a few minutes until thickened. 
4. Braai the patties in a grid over very hot coals. Aim for 8 minutes’ braai time in total, only turning once. To avoid the patties getting stuck to the grid, you can use a combination of the following tactics: Use a grid with thicker rods; spray the grid with non-stick spray; gently lay the patties onto the grid so that you’re not squeezing them into the grid; braai over very hot coals so that the patties seal before sinking into the grid; move the patties slightly with your braai tongs or spatula just as they start to braai and seal, so that ever-so-slightly braaied meat (as opposed to completely raw meat) touches the grid. As the meat cooks, it naturally starts loosening from the grid. Now, only turn the patties once and do that gently. 
5. Oil the insides of the cut rolls and toast on the grid, taking care not to over-toast (burn) them. 
6. Assemble the burger: Roll, salad, tomato, patty, mushroom sauce, roll.