Pork burgers with apple & sage recipe Drizzle and Dip

These pork burgers are packed with sage and green apple adding so much juiciness and flavour. They kind of remind me of my giant pork sausage rolls. A food item I daydream about on a regular basis.

I cook the onion and apple with the sage first so it softens the texture and melts into the pork meat before they are turned into burgers and hit the grill. A crunchy and spicy chipotle slaw with fennel, more green apple and coriander make this a very delicious burger.

I only use Hellmann’s mayonnaise, which gives this burger the unctuous creaminess it needs. It’s my favourite mayo and a staple in my house. I’ve added it to the top of the burger as well as to dress the slaw.

This recipe makes 3 large and fat pork burgers or 4 medium-sized ones. If you are making big ones, I suggest finishing them off in the oven to ensure they are 100% cooked through. I do about 15 minutes @ 180C / 350F. If you make them thinner and smaller, this won’t be necessary.

In case you missed it, check out my favourite green goddess Caesar salad dressing with Hellmann’s mayo.

Other burgers you might like:

The Bloody Mary burger

Boerewors burger with avocado, bacon and peppadew

Prep Time:20

Cook Time:20

Ingredients

Burger:

250 gms pork mince
2 – 3 of your favourite pork sausages removed from the casings
1 small onion finely chopped
1 green apple peeled and grated
7 sage leaves about 1 Tbsp chopped
Pinch of salt
¼ tsp white pepper
½ Tbsp finely chopped parsley
¼ cup breadcrumbs
additional olive oil to fry the burgers
4 sesame seed burger buns
butter to butter the buns
Hellmann's mayo to spread on the buns

Crunchy chipotle slaw with fennel & apple:

2 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 small fennel bulb finely sliced on a mandolin (about 1 cup
½ green apple cut into matchstick julienne strips
a few stalks of coriander leaves removed optional
¼ cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
1 – 2 tsp of chipotle in adobo sauce or any other hot sauce you like add less if it's very spicy
Salt & pepper
Juice from ¼ lemon

Instructions

To make the burgers, heat a splash of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and gently fry the onion and apple until softened. About 5 minutes. Add the chopped-up sage and cook very briefly.
Add this to the pork mince, sausage meat, and other ingredients and roll into 3 – 5 burger patties. Remember to season them well with salt and pepper (I like white pepper here but black pepper is also fine).
A top tip to check the seasoning of a burger is to roll an acorn size ball and cook that off first. Test this and adjust seasoning.
Wipe down the pan, and add another splash of olive oil. Fry the burgers over a medium heat until cooked through (If you are making 3 larger burgers, finish them off in an oven preheated to 180C / 350F for about 15 minutes).
Make the slaw immediately before serving to retain the crunch. Combine all the slaw ingredients in a bowl, adding a few chopped up sprigs of the fennel tops.
Mix up the mayonnaise with the chipotle/hot sauce and lemon juice and gently toss the dressing through the slaw to coat.
Slice the burger buns in half and butter each side. Grill these on the buttered side until the bread starts to caramelize.
Assemble the burgers with a generous mound of slaw. You almost can't get enough here, and then tuck in. It can get messy.