In this recipe, we use kumara as our ‘burger’, cut into discs, brushed with a blackened vinegar and topped with slices of cheddar cheese.
2 large kumara, cut into 12 to 15mm-thick discs, you will need 8 discs
1 tablespoon cooking oil
For the roasted pepper mix:
8g Farro coriander seeds
8g Farro whole black peppercorns
2g Farro ground Szechuan pepper
For the blackened vinegar:
2 spring onions
2 tablespoons dark malt vinegar
3 cloves black garlic
2 1⁄2 g roasted pepper mix
For serving:
4 burger rolls, halved to open up
100g cheddar cheese, grated
4g fresh oregano leaves
30g rocket
Pre-heat oven to 200°C
Heat a medium-sized dry frying pan on a medium heat. Roast coriander seeds, black pepper and Szechuan pepper until they start to become golden brown and aromatic, about 3-5 mins. Add roasted spices to a mortar and grind with the pestle into a fine powder, set aside
Cut the green part from the spring onion and place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Roast in oven until it is completely black, about 20 mins. Remove from oven and allow to cool
Slice the white part of the spring onions thinly and save to garnish
Place blackened spring onion greens into a blender and mix to a fine paste. Add vinegar, black garlic and 1 teaspoon of pepper mix and blend to an even consistency, season to taste and set aside
Lightly brush kumara slices with oil and season lightly, lay on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Roast in pre-heated oven for about 12-15 mins, or until just soft in the middle and nicely coloured up. Remove from oven when done
Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the rolls, cut side down, and toast for 3-5 mins or until golden and crisp – you will need to do this in batches
To serve, place a kumara burger onto the base of each roll. Brush on some blackened vinegar mix, top with another kumara burger, followed by some more vinegar mix. Add grated cheddar to each burger, followed by sliced spring onion and some fresh oregano. On top of this, add rocket dressed with a little olive oil and seasoned to taste
Top with the lid of each roll