INGREDIENTS
For the burger patties:
- 1kg (2.2 lb) ground meat (50% beef-50% pork)
- 15g sea salt
- 1g black pepper
- 100g bread (stale and without the crust)
- 1g coriander
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 large onion
- 1g garlic powder
- 2 eggs
- Lemon zest of 1 lemon
For 1.5kg (3.3 lb) potatoes:
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1 dash of ground black pepper
- 1 tsp oregano
- 150ml extra virgin olive oil
PREPARATION
At least two hours before you preheat the indirect wood-fired oven, prepare the mince for the burger patties. In a vessel, mix the two types of ground meat. Start by adding the two eggs, after you’ve beaten them, and the onion. Knead to combine these ingredients. Then, bash the spices along with the salt in a mortar (for an aromatic spice blend), and add them to the mince. Knead well one more time, and add the bread, after you’ve soaked it and squeezed out the excess water. After you knead the mixture again (kneading is very important), add the lemon zest on top of the mixture, evenly, and knead well for one last time. Cover the vessel and refrigerate the mince for two hours approximately.
Prepare the potatoes a few minutes before cooking. Peel off and cut the potatoes into wedges. Drizzle lemon juice of one lemon over the wedges and mix well. Then, add salt, pepper, and oregano, and mix to spread them evenly. Add most of the olive oil.
Shape the burger patties using 120g of mince, and place them in the clay baking tray, among the potato wedges, not on top. That’s essential for fluffy burger patties since they will draw enough moisture from the liquids inside the tray. If you place them on top of the potato wedges, they’ll be dry, and instead of roasted potatoes, you’ll end up with boiled potatoes. Before cooking, you should cover the potatoes halfway with liquid. So, add a little water, if it’s necessary.
COOKED ON Indirect wood-fired oven
COOKING
It’s the cooking in the indirect wood-fired oven that guarantees an excellent result, because of the slow, steady decline in temperature that we have in a well-built oven. That’s how we can slow-cook our food and get dishes full of flavor.
Before preparing the potatoes (and shaping the patties), preheat the indirect wood-fired oven. Place kindling (alcohol-soaked cotton) inside the fire chamber and add thin pieces of dry hardwood on top. Then, add thicker pieces of dry hardwood on top of them and initiate fire. Leave the door half open for a while. Once the fire reached some strength, we close the door.
When the temperature of the oven’s upper chamber reaches 200⁰C (392⁰F), it’s time to place the clay baking tray with our food inside the oven. Attention! When the temperature reaches 200⁰C (392⁰F), all the pieces of wood should have turned into embers. Cook for 1.5 hours approximately. Remove the clay baking tray from the oven, when the burger patties and the potatoes get a nice color, and there is only oil left inside the baking tray.
Enjoy this delicious meal with your family or your friends. Accompany it with seasonal salads and fine quality wine. It’s a recipe that both kids and grown-ups love.
Happy cooking everyone!
