Smash cheeseburger with burger sauce

Step by Step

Step 1

Start by preparing the cheesy bacon the night before. Put the rashers in a reusable food bag, then add the honey and soy sauce. Give it a good massage so that the honey and soy combine and coat the bacon well. Put in the fridge overnight (up to 24 hours).

Step 2

For the burger sauce, put all ingredients in a food processor and blend to a smooth sauce; season. Any extra sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Step 3

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200ºC, gas mark 6. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Put the mince in a large mixing bowl with the salt and a generous twist of black pepper; gently mix to combine. Divide the mixture into 4 x 125g balls. Remove the bacon from the marinade and put on the lined baking tray; bake for 12 minutes, flipping halfway. Scatter over the cheese and return to the oven for a final 2 minutes.

Step 4

Meanwhile, put a heavy-based, wide frying pan on the hob over a high heat. Find a heavy pan (ideally a cast-iron dish) with a base of a similar size to the frying pan and prepare a sheet of baking parchment. When the frying pan is hot, put 1 tbsp oil and 2 mince balls in the pan, spacing evenly apart. Immediately cover loosely with the baking parchment, then place the heavy pan on top and press down as firmly as you can to squash the meat into thin patties. Remove the heavy pan and peel off the parchment – the patties should be less than 1cm thick and look lacy in places. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip over. Add a cheese slice to the top of each patty then cook for 1 minute more until the burgers are cooked through, the juices run clear and no pink meat remains. Transfer to a warm plate and loosely tent with foil. Repeat with the remaining 1 tbsp oil and mince balls.

Step 5

When the burgers are cooked, turn the heat under the pan to medium and toast the buns for 1 minute. To assemble, spread the burger sauce onto the cut sides of each bun. Add gherkins to the base, then top with 2 burgers and the bacon, before adding the tops of the buns. Serve straight away.