#burger

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking mashed sweet potatoes. You’re thinking roasted beets. You’re thinking peas. You’re thinking soft patties that don’t hold well while cooking. You’re thinking patties that collapses as you give the buns a squeeze. You’re thinking patties that coat the back of your mouth. You’re not thinking about this burger. You see, unlike some veggie burgers recipe that comes out purely from wanting to eat healthy, where nutritional values takes precedence over taste and mushy red patties are an acceptable replacement for beef, this was concocted in the Serious Eats Food Lab. And there’s none of that nonsense happening there.

This patty is so flavorful you might opt for it instead of meaty goodness. There’s an abundance of texture at play; a touch of crisp on the outside, tender but firm on the inside. I used portobello instead of button mushrooms to give it an extra touch of umami and I think it was a pretty good call, but do refer to the original recipe for the complete list of ingredients. I also don’t have a food processor and pulsed the ingredients in my blender, so those without one have no excuse. This will seriously change your views about veggie burgers, and that’s the Winger guarantee.

VEGGIE BURGERS (tweaked from the original recipe by Serious Eats, makes 8 patties)

[ 1 ½ pounds portobello mushrooms, trimmed and chopped into halves + ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil + Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper + 6 thyme sprigs + 1 whole small eggplant (about ½ pound) + 1 large onion, chopped + 1 large celery rib, chopped fine (about ½ cup) + 1 medium clove garlic, minced + ¾ cup dry lentils + 1 (14-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and patted dry on paper towels + 1/4 cup all-purpose flour + 2 teaspoons baking powder + 1 teaspoon Maggi seasoning + 1 cup toasted almonds + 1 teaspoon soy sauce + 1 ½-cups panko bread crumbs ]

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, toss mushrooms with 1 tablespoon oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Coat eggplant with another tablespoon olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Wrap eggplant with heavy duty aluminum foil. Transfer mushrooms and eggplant to a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Scatter thyme over mushrooms. Bake in the middle rack, turning mushrooms and wrapped eggplant occasionally until mushrooms are dark brown and eggplant is completely tender (test with a cake tester or thin skewer), about 35-40 minutes. If you find that the mushrooms are cooking faster than the eggplant, then take those out and leave the eggplant cooking a little longer. Remove from oven, unwrap eggplant, and set aside to cool.

While mushrooms and eggplant roast, heat remaining two tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring and tossing occasionally, until completely softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl and set aside to cool.

Place lentils in a pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Stir once then place over high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are completely tender, about 20 minutes. Drain completely, patting with paper towels until dry and transfer into a large bowl.

Add half of garbanzo beans to the bowl of a food processor along with flour, baking powder, soy sauce, Maggi seasoning and half of eggplant (reserve remaining eggplant for another use). Process until a smooth paste forms, scraping down sides as necessary. Transfer mixture to the bowl with lentils. Pulse remaining chickpeas in food processor until beans are chopped to about the size of a lentil (5 to 6 short bursts), scraping down sides as necessary. Transfer to bowl with lentil mixture. Chop almonds in the food processor the same way and add to lentil mix.

When mushrooms are cool, add to bowl of food processor and pulse until finely chopped but still coarse in texture, about 8 to 10 short pulses. Add to lentil mix. When onions and celery are cool, transfer to food processor. Chop with 8 to 10 short pulses and add to lentil mix. Using bare hands or a spatula, stir together mixture until completely homogenous. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mixture can be refrigerated and stored for up to 5 days at this point or frozen in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months.

When you’re ready to serve the burgers, Add breadcrumbs to mixture and work them in with your hands. Make a sample patty. It should have the texture of ground beef and hold together easily. If not, add water a tablespoon at a time until it comes together. Divide mixture into eight patties about 4-inches across and ½ an inch thick. Patties must be cooked within 30 minutes of adding breadcrumbs.

Heat three tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add four patties and cook without moving until first side is well-browned, about 3 minutes. Flip burgers and top with cheese (if desired) and cook until second side is browned and cheese is melted, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer to a toasted bun and serve with condiments as desired.

Enjoy!