Burger Kings: The recipes

Top chefs' recipes for their favourite burgers

(Philip Sinden)

Rowley Leigh's Parisien burger

Serves 6

6 x thick brioche buns

- lettuce

- olive oil

- tomato

For the burgers:

- 600g skirt steak

- 600g shin of beef

For the Sauce Gribiche:

- 3 hard-boiled egg yolks

- 1 tsp Dijon mustard

- 2 tsp finely chopped shallots

- 2 tsp finely chopped parsley

- 1 tsp finely chopped capers

- 2 tsp finely chopped gherkins

- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

- A generous pinch of salt

- ½ tbsp coarsely grounded black peppercorns

Clean the skirt steak and beef of all sinew, and ground twice on a coarse blade of the meat mincer. Shape into 6 x 200g patties. Do not add seasoning to mix. Combine all ingredients for the sauce gribiche, mix into a paste and emulsify with 1.5 tablespoons olive oil. Cut the brioche bun in half, place the lettuce on the bottom. Season the burger very very well and cook until rare on the grill. Place on top of lettuce, add a slice of tomato, then add the sauce gribiche and finish with the second half of the brioche bun.

Rowley Leigh is chef-proprietor of Café Anglais 8 Porchester Gardens, London, W2

Fergus Henderson's beef burger

Use between ¼ and ½ lb of fantastic beef mince per person depending on the person’s appetite. Simply mould into a burger shape. Any additions should be carefully considered: mayonnaise to act as a grouting for your thinly sliced red onions, a chopped little gem, a sliced tomato, lengthways slithers of pickled gherkin and some Dijon mustard for a touch of rigor. But sorry, no tomato ketchup. Although it is fantastic with chips, it takes over the burger. You can order the buns from St John Bread & Wine. Let the beef come to the fore. Lots of napkins, eat with your friends if you don’t mind dribbling in front of them.

Peter Gordon's lamb burger

Serves 2

- 2 x 120-140g pieces boneless NZ lamb neck fillet

- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

- 1 Tablespoon olive oil

- 1 large re onion, peeled and thinly sliced

- 2tsp balsamic vinegar

- 12 green olives, pitted

- ½ tsp capers

- ½ clove peeled garlic, crushed

- ¼ tsp finely grated lemon zest

- 10 mint leaves

- 50g Greek style yoghurt

- ¼ bunch watercress

- 2 sourdough hamburger buns, split in half

Lay the lamb fillets flat on the bench then cut through them horizontally to give you 4 pieces.

Mix the smoked paprika with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, ¼ teaspoon coarse salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Mix it together then rub or brush over the lamb, place on a plate and cover with cling-film and leave at room temperature whilst you prepare the rest.

Place the remaining oil in a fry-pan and add the sliced onion. Cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until it wilts and begins to caramelise. Stir in the balsamic and cook until it’s evaporated. Season with a little salt.

Chop the olives, capers, garlic and lemon zest until fine, or use a small food processor. It shouldn’t need any salt.

Shred the mint and mix into the yoghurt with a little freshly ground black pepper.

Heat up a heavy based pan over medium heat, or turn the grill on, and cook the lamb until just beyond medium (neck fillet benefits from cooking beyond medium), turning over after 4 minutes.

Toast the buns.

To assemble, spread a quarter of the onions on the bottoms of both buns. Layer with the watercress, yoghurt, 2 pieces each of lamb neck, tapenade and then the remainder of the onions. Sit the top back on and gently press down. Hold in place with a skewer.

Peter Gordon runs Providores, 109 Marylebone High Street, London W1

Mark Hix's prawn burgers

Serves 4

I saw this recipe in the American food magazine Saveur and I have used it several times since. It’s important to use seawater prawns, as opposed to freshwater, as the taste is far superior.

- 550g raw seawater prawns, shelled and deveined

- 150g firm white fish, boned and skinned

- ½ bunch of spring onions, finely chopped

- 1tsp Worcestershire sauce

- 3tbsp mayonnaise

- Pinch of cayenne pepper

- Salt and freshly ground black pepper

- Fresh white breadcrumbs, to coat

- Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

- 4 burger buns, to serve

For the spiced tartare sauce:

- 3tbsp good-quality mayonnaise

- 20g capers, chopped

- 20g gherkins, chopped

- 4-5 drops of Tabasco sauce

Put the prawns and white fish in a food processor and blend to a coarse purée. Put this and all of the remaining ingredients except the breadcrumbs into a bowl, mix well and season with salt and pepper. Make a tiny burger shape with a little of the mix, dredge with some breadcrumbs and fry in a little oil to test the seasoning of the mix. Add more seasoning if necessary.

Divide the rest of the mix into 4 flat patties a little larger than the buns and chill for 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the spiced tartare sauce by mixing all of the ingredients together.

Preheat oil for deep-frying to 170?C. Dredge the burgers in breadcrumbs, pressing them into the burgers, and deep-fry for 4-5 minutes until golden.

Meanwhile, lightly toast the burger buns, spread them with a spoonful of the spiced tartare sauce and serve the burgers in them.

Mark Hix is chef-proprietor of Hix Oyster and Chop House, 36-37 Greenhill Rents, Cowcross Street, London, EC1

Jason Atherton's Maze Grill burger

Serves 4

- 1kg minced beef

- 50g diced shallot

- 3x spring thyme (picked and chopped)

- 2x spring rosemary (picked and chopped)

- 32g breadcrumbs

- 32g egg white

- 7g salt

- 4g Worcestershire sauce

- 25g Dijon mustard

- 25g Heinz tomato ketchup

- 4 x burger baps

- Flour, to dust

Sauté the shallots, rosemary and thyme without colouring them. Mix all the ingredients together (do not over mix). Shape into a burger shape (approx 250g each), fry lightly and finish by placing in the oven at 180-200C for 5/6 minutes. Serve with mixed leaves salad, French fries, aioli sauce, tomato ketchup and Dijon mustard.

Jason Atherton is executive chef at Maze Grill, 10-13 Grosvenor Square, London W1

Sam Clarke's Hindu Kush Kabaab or Burger

Serves 4

You can use lean meat for this because the nuggets of tomato keep the meat moist. True Kabaab connoisseurs will chop the meat by hand for the right consistency. The final shape and thickness of your kabaab depends on the shape and thickness Of the bread you have chosen pitta or bun.

- 400g beef, lamb or venison, thinly sliced and pulsed in a processor until mince consistency,

- 100g polenta / maize flour

- 1 smallish red onion finely chopped

- 100g tomatoes deseeded, finely diced

- 1 heaped tsp of finely ground cumin

- 1 heaped tsp of finely ground coriander

- 3 – 6 fresh green chillies deseeded and finely chopped

- I tbsp of chopped coriander

- 1 tbsp of chopped parsley

- 2 eggs lightly whisked egg

- 1 level tsp of Turkish chilli flakes (optional)

- 1 level tsp of smoked paprika

- 50g of brown butter

Mix all the ingredients together add salt for taste, shape by hand then grill or fry. Serve with shredded salad and (optional) picked Turkish chilli

Sam Clarke is owner of Moro, Exmouth Market, London EC1