Making a Surprise Burgers

These can be made with lamb or beef mince. As for the cheese filling, any cheese will do, but I find that Cheddar, feta and haloumi stand up most successfully to the rigours of being fried.

Here's what you'll need:
500g minced beef or lamb
1 clove of garlic, chopped or grated
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or
1/4 teaspoon of dried
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
About 100g of cheese, cubed

Here's how:

• In a bowl, mix the meat and all the other ingredients together except for the cheese. I find it best to use my hands and massage the seasonings into the meat.
• Divide the mixture into 8.10 balls and squash down with a spatula, or use a food ring to form the burgers.
• Press your finger into the centre of each burger and drop in 1 or 2 cubes of cheese. Squeeze the meat up over the cheese to cover.
• Fry each burger, 3.4 at a time, in a frying pan, or place them on an oiled baking sheet and put in the oven for 15.20 minutes at 190¢ªC/gas mark 5 until cooked. Serve with bread buns and salad.

Variations:
. Omit the paprika, rosemary and cumin and instead use 1.2 teaspoon of chilli flakes and 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce.
. If using lamb, add a dessertspoon of freshly chopped mint to the meat as well as the other ingredients in the original recipe.

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