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Gizzi Erskine’s homemade Big Mac
Confession time. McDonald's isn't usually the first thing we reach for (even when we're hungover, we'd pick Morley's over Maccies), but since the golden arches stopped glowing, we're craving this forbidden (fast-food) fruit.
Serves 1
Ingredients:
For the Big Mac sauce
- 3 tbsp finely chopped onions
- 200g mayonnaise
- 30g ketchup
- 30g American-style mustard
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp chopped pickles
- 2-3 tbsp of dill-pickle brine
- 1 tsp onion or garlic powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
For the burgers
- 2 x 80g beef patties, 20 per cent fat. (Of course you culinary creatives can also choose to make your own. Show offs.)
- Bun
- Lettuce
- Gherkins (to taste)
- Sliced, processed cheese
Method:
- Submerge the finely chopped onion in boiling water and leave for five minutes. Drain into a bowl (you'll need some of the liquor later) before removing excess liquid in kitchen paper or a clean tea towel, squeezing as much water out as possible.
- Take 1 tbsp of the onion water in a mixing bowl and combine with 2 tbsp of the strained, chopped onion and the remaining sauce ingredients. Let the flavours mingle for at least 30 minutes.
- Fatten the beef patties and season with plenty of salt and pepper before frying on both sides in a searingly hot pan.
- To build your burger, cut the buns into three horizontal slices and toast. Spread 1 tbsp burger sauce over the top of the bottom and middle slices and divide the reserved chopped onion over the bases.
- On the base layer, add lettuce, slices of gherkin to taste, followed by a patty and a slice (or two) of processed cheese.
- Add the middle slice of bun, and repeat step 5.
- Burger assembled, pop it back into the pan, add a dash of water (about 1 tbsp) and cover with a lid to melt the cheese and reheat the burger.
It's just like the real deal.