Mushroom, Barley & Potato Burgers

This burger was demonstrated at the Sustainable Living Festival in Hobart on Sat 9 November. It holds together beautifully and is a chewy, wholesome burger for winter or summer.

Ingredients
1 medium potato
1 Tbs olive oil
200g mushrooms (any)
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup barley (cooked)
seasoning to taste, say 1/2 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp pepper
Method
1. Steam potato until tender. Mash with a fork until reasonably smooth.
2. Chop mushrooms roughly. Preheat oven to 190C.
3. Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan and heat. Sautee mushrooms until they begin to sweat. Add thyme and cook a little longer until the liquid has dried up.
4. Meanwhile measure the cooked barley into a medium-sized bowl. Add the salt and pepper. Add the mashed potato.
5. When the mushrooms are ready, put them in a blender with 1 teaspoon of cider vinegar and pulse until they are finely chopped. Add them to the other ingredients in the mixing bowl and stir until they are well combined.
6. Lightly grease a frying pan and heat. Shape the burger mix into four medium-sized patties and fry approximately 3 minutes per side until golden.
7. Transfer to a baking tray and bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes until the burgers are firm and cooked through. Serve with condiments of your choice!

Servings: 4 medium-sized burgers
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

At the SLF I also used a small amount of minced black truffle and some truffle-infused olive oil to give it some added depth.

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