Vegetarian for Life
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Mushroom Chestnut Burgers & Sweet Potato Fries

Serves: 2
Time to prepare: 25 mins
Time to cook: 50 mins
Dietary requirements: Dairy-free, Egg-free, Vegan

Ingredients

  • 150g/5oz chestnut mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste
  • ½ tsp arrowroot powder or cornflour
  • 90g/3oz cooked chestnuts
  • ½–1 tsp wholemeal flour (gluten-free flour can also be used)

Sweet Potato Fries

  • 2 medium–large sweet potatoes
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 tbsp extra–virgin olive oil
  • Optional spices: freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder

Easy Quick Ketchup

  • 6 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 60–100ml water
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • Pinch of dried herbs
  • Pinch of smoked paprika
  • Pinch of chilli powder (optional)
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Burgers:

  1. ​Toss the mushrooms with the garlic, thyme and cumin with a glug of olive oil and some salt and pepper in a bowl.
  2. Put the mixture on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are browning.
  3. Remove and put to one side.
  4. When cooled, place the mushroom mix in a food processor with the other ingredients and blitz until combined and still a bit lumpy.
  5. Form patties with the mix.
  6. Over a medium heat, add olive oil to a frying pan and cook each burger for about 4 minutes each side.
  7. Serve on wholemeal buns with salad, tomato, onion and ketchup.

For the Sweet Potato Fries:

  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/430°F/gas mark 7, with racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven (make sure the top rack is about 15cm from the heat source and no closer).
  2. Line two large baking trays with parchment paper so the fries don’t get stuck to the pans.
  3. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into fry-shaped pieces – about ½ cm wide and ½ cm thick. Try to cut them into similarly sized pieces so the fries will bake evenly.
  4. Transfer half of the uncooked fries to one baking tray, and the other half to the other baking tray.
  5. Sprinkle the sweet potato fries with the cornflour and salt.
  6. Toss until the fries are lightly coated in powder.
  7. Drizzle the olive oil over the fries (1 tbsp per pan) and toss until the fries are lightly and evenly coated in oil, and no powdery spots remain (use your fingers to rub visible cornflour into the fries as necessary).
  8. Arrange your fries in a single layer and don’t overcrowd; otherwise they will not crisp up.
  9. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip the fries so they can cook on all sides. The easiest way to flip them is with a spatula.
  10. Arrange the fries in even layers across the pans again, moving any particularly browned fries more towards the middle of the pan so they don’t get overcooked.
  11. Return the pans to the oven, swapping their positions (former top pan goes to the lower rack and vice versa.)
  12. Bake for 10 to 18 more minutes, or until the fries are crispy. You’ll know they’re almost done when the surface of the fries change from shiny orange to a more matte, puffed up texture. Keep an eye on them, because they can turn from crisp to burnt quickly. Sometimes the lower pan will be done a few minutes before the top pan. Don’t worry if the edges are a little bit brown; they will taste more caramelized than burnt.
  13. If desired, toss the baked fries with the seasonings, to taste.

For Ketchup:

  1. Blend all ingredients until smooth with a blender or food processor. 
     

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