Veggie Burgers

Peel the sweet potatoes, and chop them and the broccoli into small pieces. Boil in salted water for ten minutes or until soft.

Add the kidney beans into the boiling pan for two minutes, then remove the pot from heat and drain it. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mash the potato, broccoli and kidney beans together, adding milk to loosen the mixture a little. Gradually add tomato sauce, chili, herbs, breadcrumbs, egg, flour and oil until the mixture is very thick. You might need to fudge the quantities a little to get the right texture. It’s surprisingly difficult to add too much flour. Season again.

Cover a tray, plate or chopping board in flour, and cover your hands in oil. Grab a handful of the burger batter and shape it into a burger patty. Place patties on the floured tray, and then turn them over so they are floured on both sides. Repeat until all the batter has been made into burgers, re-flouring the board and re-oiling your hands regularly.

You should get about six to eight burgers out of this – maybe more depending on how small you make them.

Refrigerate for ten to fifteen minutes. I like this step because it usually coincides with the side dish having to cook, and (in my mind at least) firms the burgers up for frying later. I’m not sure if it’s entirely necessary though. If you try this recipe without refrigerating, let me know how it goes!

Heat some oil in a frying pan over medium high heat and cook the burgers on each side for three to five minutes, depending on thickness. Once each side is crispy and the burger is heated through, they are ready.

Serve.