My friend, the lamb burger

Ah, the glorious burger. What’s not to like? Do it on the barbecue if summer ever decides to show her face. Otherwise, this is an all year round, heart warming hunk of meat between two lumps of bread to be enjoyed with a rich red, or even a good ale.

Lamb burgers (serves 4)

Ingredients
450g minced lamb
15g butter
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp dried mint
1 egg, beaten
4 rashers streaky bacon
4 good quality floury burger buns

To serve…
Salad, potato salad and/or chunky chips
Lettuce, tomato & cheese to top the burger
Ketchup/mint sauce on the side

Method
Fry the onion and garlic in the butter until soft and the onion translucent. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes. Then add the lamb and herbs. Add the beaten egg and mix well. Divide the mixture into eight equal pieces and shape into burgers.

Take the bacon rashers and cut each one in half, before wrapping them around the side of the burgers. Secure with a cocktail stick and cook under a hot grill until brown and cooked through. You’ll need to turn them twice. Serve the burger in the bun with your favourite toppings.

The wine to match

Burgers, like pizzas, are one of the easiest things to wine match. All you’re looking for is a good full red, like what you might have at a BBQ. An Aussie Shiraz, an Argentian Malbec or even a hefty Bordeaux or Chianti.

Just above entry level, I think the Grandiose Cabernet Sauvignon works well with most meat dishes. It’s quite gutsy, and I like it because it has enough fruit sweetness go solo as well, not unlike the Chateau Puybarbe, and it wouldn’t be as drying as perhaps the Les Deux Cedres, which some people actually prefer for that slightly drier style. It would be an equally good partner.

Of course we can’t forget Malbec, the meat lovers wine. Santa Alicia do a good one for the price, or you could go to Australia and step it up to Bleasdale’s take on Argentina’s number one red grape variety. For Shiraz, the fun begins with the Last Stand, or you could go back to France for the Dignite Syrah – a wine that will leave you dazed and confused for so long it’s not true. (It’s amazing, take my word for it.)