Belgian Blue Beef Burger With Spicy Stir-Fried Peppers Recipe
Belgian Blue beef burger with spicy stir-fried peppers, peas and fried egg
How to Cook a Belgian Blue Beef Burger
Belgian Blue beef burgers have a texture, succulence and flavour that few other burgers, if any, can match. This means that when you are lucky enough to have one to cook and enjoy, it is best to find a way of serving it where it can be appreciated at its very best rather than simply being stuck on a bun. This recipe sees the gently fried burger served with spicy peppers, peas, and a fried egg circle. It is also served on top of a circle of toast which helps trap and retain the tasty juices rather than them being lost on the serving plate.
Belgian Blue beef burgers
If the burgers are frozen, they must be defrosted fully in the fridge overnight. They are not suitable for cooking from frozen or evenly partly frozen. They should also be removed from the fridge a minimum half hour before being cooked to allow the meat to reach room temperature.
Cook Time
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ready in: 30 min
Yields: 1 serving
Bell peppers, chilli and red onion
Ingredients
- 6-ounce Belgian Blue beef burger
- Vegetable oil for frying
- ½ yellow bell pepper
- ½ green bell pepper
- ½ small to medium red onion
- Medium size and strength red chilli
- Salt and pepper
- 1 slice of bread
- 1 medium egg (fresh as possible)
- 1 cup frozen garden peas
- Malt vinegar (optional)
Belgian Blue beef burger is put on to fry.
Instructions
Pour a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil into a small, non-stick frying pan and bring it up to a medium heat. Add the burger and fry for an initial seven to eight minutes over a low to medium heat.
Sliced peppers and onion
Remove the seeds from the bell pepper halves and slice to a thickness of around a quarter of an inch. Finely slice the peeled onion half. Cut the top off the chilli and slice into thin discs. If you prefer, the seeds and their membranes can firstly be scooped out very carefully with a sharp knife if you want a milder final effect.
Belgian Blue beef burger is turned to fry on second side.
Turn the burger with a spatula and let it fry for a further seven or eight minutes on the second side. Place a large, heatproof plate into your oven and put the oven on its lowest setting.
Peppers and onions are quickly stir-fried.
When the burger is ready, lift it to the heated plate and return the plate to the oven. Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary, turn the heat right up and stir fry the peppers and onion for a few minutes until just softened, seasoning with a little salt and pepper.
Use a plastic spatula or slotted spoon to lift the peppers to the plate with the burger, returning it again to the warm oven.
Frying egg
Wipe the pan carefully with some kitchen paper and add a little more oil, wiping it across the surface to create an oily film covering only. Bring it back up to a medium to high heat.
Break the egg into a small cup or bowl, season with a little salt and pour it carefully into the pan, bringing the lip of the cup as close to the surface of the pan as possible as you do so. As soon as you can see the egg is holding its shape, turn the heat down to low and cook just until you can see the white is set all the way up to and around the edge of the yolk. This should take approximately three minutes but will vary depending on the heat and the size of the egg.
As soon as the egg is in the pan, put your bread on to toast and add the frozen peas to a large pot of boiling water to simmer for three minutes.
Circle is cut from slice of toast with a large drinking glass.
When your toast is ready, sit it on a chopping board and use a drinking glass, bowl or similar item as a template to cut as large a circle from it as possible with a sharp knife.
Toast circle is sat in centre of square serving plate.
Lay the toast circle in the middle of a serving plate.
Rested Belgian Blue beef burger is laid on top of toast circle.
Sit the rested burger on top of the toast circle.
Fried egg is lifted to a plate.
When the egg is ready, lift it with a spatula to a clean plate.
Small diameter drinking glass is used to cut circle from fried egg.
Use a smaller diameter drinking glass than before to cut a circle from the fried egg. Simply lay it over the yolk as shown, ensuring a narrow and even border of white remains all round. Simply press down with the glass when it is positioned correctly to cut the circle.
Fried egg circle
Remove the glass and gently ease the off-cuts of egg white away from the cut circle with the point of a knife. These off-cuts can be made to count as chef's perks and eaten immediately.
Fried egg circle is laid on top of burger.
Use your spatula again to lift the egg circle onto the burger.
Peas are drained and seasoned.
Drain the peas at your sink through a colander. Season them in the colander with malt vinegar and black pepper and gently shake the colander to evenly disperse.
Spicy peppers are plated either side of burger.
Large tongs are best used to plate the peppers and onion combination, half on either side of the burger.
Cutting into burger and perfect sunny-side up fried egg
Divide the peas between the two empty corners of the plate and serve immediately.
© 2018 Gordon Hamilton
