Eat like a girl: Beef, beet and horseradish burgers

Food in the making: Beetroot burgers
Niamh Shields10 April 2012

The earthy beetroot and pungent, spicy horseradish work brilliantly with the minced steak in these burgers. I like the beetroot raw, finely grated it blends with the meat quite well. Cooked will work too. Be warned, this is messy but oh so satisfying. Your hands will turn bright pink as you mix the patties. They are best made and cooked immediately; if you let them sit in the moisture from the beetroot, it will make the burgers a little soggy. There is no need to add anything such as breadcrumb or egg, as some burger recipes do, they only make steak go further if you are trying to spare it and you sacrifice flavour and texture when you do. Try not to overcook them. Add salt just before you cook, too, as salting earlier will result in a loss of moisture and a tough burger. Nobody wants that!

Serves 8
* 1kg best minced beef (chuck steak works well for this)
* 2 raw beetroots, peeled and finely grated
* 5cm fresh horseradish root, finely grated
* sea salt

Combine all the ingredients except the salt in a bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands. Divide the mixture into eight equal balls, each about 130g in weight. Shape them into a round and squash down until they are burger-shaped.

Cook on a hot griddle or frying pan for three to four minutes on either side, salting only after you turn them over, until they are still bouncy and moist. Burgers are best served medium rare - and, if you have invested in good quality minced steak, you will really appreciate it.

Recipe from Comfort and Spice by Niamh Shields (£14.99, Quadrille)

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