Stack'em High! ......Cheesy Pork patty with mushrooms & green beans

It's amazing how something simple can look so pretty and taste so good! and when some of your meal comes from your own garden?...well there's nothing more satisfying!

This is one of my favourite ways to serve up a home made meat patty or burger....stacked up with a mound of golden onions and melting cheese, on a base of crisp green beans, freshly picked from the poly-tunnel I might add, this is a burger meal that is good for you!

You will need.....will feed 4 people

400 g green beans

200 g mushrooms
3 medium onions
2 cloves garlic crushed
50 g butter
olive oil...not extra virgin
sea salt
fresh black pepper

500 g minced pork or lean beef if you like
salt, pepper
1 tablespoon mexican taco spices
100 g mature cheddar
100 g mozzarella



How to.......

for the beans & mushrooms.......

• wash then trim the green beans and set aside
• peel and thinly slice the onions
• clean, then slice the mushrooms
• melt the butter in a saucepan, add the sliced onions and cook gently until soft, remove from the heat
• heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and cook the mushrooms allowing them to brown a little
• when cooked, turn off the heat and add the crushed garlic, add about one third of the sliced onions to the mushrooms and mix well...keep the remaining onions aside for the burgers
• cover the pan with the mushrooms and set aside, we can re-heat this quickly once our burgers are cooked

for the burgers......

• grate the 2 cheeses, mix together and set aside
• place the meat in a mixing bowl, add the taco spices and season with salt and pepper
• mix everything together well then form the meat into 4 even sized burgers
• cook your burgers whichever way you like, I have one of those griddle machines which make great burgers when the weather is non compliant for a BBQ!
• once the burgers are cooked, place on an oven proof tray or dish, divide the cooked onions between the burgers then top with the cheese
• place the cheesy topped burgers in the oven at 180oC
• while the burgers are getting their last blast, you can cook the green beans in a pan of boiling salted water
• as the beans are cooking you can gently re-heat the onion and mushroom mixture...if you think it's a little dry you can add a touch of water to help generate some steam
• once the cheese on the burgers is deliciously gooey and beginning to brown, you can serve them up
• drain the beans, place some on each plate, top with the hot mushroom and onions mixture and crown with a golden topped burger
• dig in!

There isn't really any need to have a sauce or gravy with the dish as there is sufficient moisture, but if you really hanker after a sauce, you can add about 150 mls of cream or creme fraiche to the mushroom mixture and bring to the boil...et voila!....a delicious garlicky mushroom sauce!...do taste test though in case it needs further seasoning.....then pour this lovely sauce over the top of the beans and away you go.