Sweet potato and black bean burgers
The beauty of these veggie burgers is that they’re made with mainly store cupboard items, so you can whip them up on days when you haven’t got much in the house. In fact, that’s how this recipe first came about.
The bean and potato combo gives a firm, dense, but not-at-all dry burger, and is complimented, flavour-wise, by cumin and smoked paprika.
The burgers are super versatile too – try them as a main meal with guacamole and some salad leaves, on their own as a snack, or as a breakfast burger topped with a poached or fried egg.
Some nerdy nutritional info you might like to know: Sweet potatoes and oats are good, slow-releasing carbs which will keep you full and satisfied, and your blood sugar levels stable. So no carb coma will be experienced from eating these. You’ll also get protein and fibre from the beans for extra energy and digestive health, and essential fat from the almonds. A brilliantly balanced and nutritionally badass meal, in other words.
Makes 6 large patties
You will need:
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 1 can black beans (we use Biona organic), drained and rinsed
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/2 cup ground almonds
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Coconut oil (We use Lucy Bee) or olive oil for frying
Method:
- Microwave the potatoes in their skins on a high setting until soft (around 8-10 minutes). Allow them to cool then spoon out the flesh into a large bowl, and discard the skins.
- Add all the other ingredients to the bowl with the potato, and blitz with a stick blender until the mixture has come together. You could also do this in a food processor.
- Shape the mixture into six evenly sized patties. Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
- Heat a large frying pan over a moderate heat and add the oil. You’ll need about 1 tbsp oil for three patties. Fry the burgers for 5 minutes on each side (you might need to do this in 2-3 stages if your frying pan is smaller). You want the burgers to be golden brown and crisp on the outside.
- Bake the fried burgers in the oven for 20 minutes to cook through and firm up. Serve with salad leaves and guacamole spooned on top.
To make the guacamole: Mix together 1 ripe, diced avocado, 1 diced tomato, 1/2 finely chopped onion, 1/2 finely chopped garlic clove (optional), a good squeeze lime juice, a handful of chopped coriander and a good pinch salt.
NOTES
Roll the burgers in polenta before frying to give them extra crunch.
If you’re short of time, you can skip the frying stage and cook the burgers in the oven for 30 minutes instead. However, it’s worth doing if you can, as the frying gives a nice crust to the burgers and adds extra flavour.
Add 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper to the burgers or half a fresh chopped chilli to the guacamole for extra kick.
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