Lentil Burgers Recipe

Ingredients

• 3½ oz (100 g) floury potatoes, cut into 2-cm/¾-inch cubes
• 3½ oz (100 g) baby spinach leaves
• 9 oz (250 g) cooked Puy lentils
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 3½ oz (100 g) chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 heaped tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 small egg, beaten
• 1½ tbsp extra virgin rapeseed oil
• 1 tsp salt
• pepper

• 4 wholemeal burger buns, about 50 g/1¾ oz each
• 1½ oz (40 g) light mayonnaise
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 8½ oz (240 g) mixed salad leaves

1. Bring a small saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil, add the potatoes and cook for 10 minutes, until soft. Drain thoroughly, then return to the hob with the heat turned off. The residual heat will dry out any remaining moisture – shake the pan to help.
2. Meanwhile, put the spinach in a microwaveable bowl and microwave at full power (850 watts) for 1½ minutes, or until thoroughly wilted. Transfer to a sieve and push all the moisture out using the end of a rolling pin or a pestle. Dry again on strong kitchen paper.
3. Put the potatoes, lentils, onion, mushrooms, 1 teaspoon of salt, and pepper to taste in a food processor and process for 1 minute to a semi-smooth mixture with some texture. Stir the spinach, parsley and thyme into the mixture by hand, then stir in the egg. Shape into four large 1 cm/½ inch thick burgers.
4. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan. Add the burgers and cook, in batches if necessary, over a medium heat for 3 minutes on each side. You may need to reduce the heat to low for the last minute of cooking on either side to prevent the burgers from over-browning.
5. Split the burger buns and spread them with the mayonnaise. Place the burgers in the buns with the tomato slices and serve immediately with the salad leaves on the side.