BUT turkey is a much underused meat in this country, it’s low in fat, and if cooked right is pretty tasty too. So hopefully, this recipe will enable some of you to get your burger fix whilst being a bit healthier in January. Oh yeah, and sweet potatoes are officially a superfood now too. Think I turned that one around…

The long-ish ingredient list suggests that this is quite an involved recipe, but it really isn’t. Once you’ve got everything together, it’s pretty easy. The red pepper relish works really well with the burgers, as does a bit of creamed horseradish instead of ketchup or mayo. I like the robust sponginess of ciabatta with these, but feel free to use whatever bread tickles your fancy.

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the patties

400 g turkey mince

2 spring onions, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 tbs parsley, finely chopped

1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tbs grated parmesan

Salt & pepper to taste

For the relish

1 red pepper, de-seeded & cut in to strips

1/2 large onion, sliced

Salt & pepper to taste

Pinch of brown sugar

Nob of butter

For the fries

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into batons

Olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Tabasco

To serve

Ciabatta

Creamed horseradish

Gruyère cheese

Rocket

Method

So first up, make the patties. There’s no added binding ingredients in the recipe, and I find that the burgers stay together better once they’ve had a bit of a chance to rest in the fridge after making. So finely chop all your veg, herbs, garlic etc and stick them in a bowl along with the turkey mince and Parmesan. Get your hands in there and mix everything together until evenly distributed. If you want to check your seasoning, fry a small amount in a pan and give it a taste. Form the mix in to two equal sized patties (don’t compress them too hard, just give them enough pressure so that they form together nicely) and then cover and pop in the fridge.

Whilst the burgers are chilling, prep the rest of the veg for the relish and fries, and set your oven to 200c. When you’re done doing this, get the fries going. Pop your batons of sweet potato into a roasting tray and slosh over some olive oil, sprinkle over salt and pepper and then add a few dashes of Tabasco. You can add more or less depending on how hot you like it. Give everything a good mix until all the sweet potato is coated and then pop in the oven. The fries will cook for about half an hour, or until they are soft and nicely coloured.

Now turn your attention to the relish. In a frying pan / skillet with a lid (more on this in a bit) melt a nob of butter over a medium high heat, and then add your onion and red pepper along with salt, pepper and a pinch of brown sugar. You want to slowly fry and caremelise the veg until they’ve got good colour and a nice sticky consistency.

When the relish is close to being done, move it over to one side of the pan, take the burgers out of the fridge, and add them to the pan. Initially what you want to do is brown them nicely, around 1 or 2 minutes on each side until they have a good golden crust. Once you’ve got this, add a couple of tablespoons of water to the pan and then pop on the lid and continue to cook them for a further 6 minutes, turning once (NB. when you turn the burgers, stir the relish to make sure its not burning). Putting the lid on with a bit of water will help keep the turkey moist, which is as we know a bit of a problem with the big bird.

Just before the burgers are done, stick a slice of Gruyère on top of each one and then replace the lid. As soon as the cheese is melted, you’re ready to go. Take out the burgers and the fries. Stick a handful of rocket on the bottom of each ciabatta, place the burger on top of this and then top with the red pepper relish. Spread some creamed horseradish on the top half of the bread and then get busy.

While we were in France recently, we had a couple of croques, both monsieur and madame, and I think I’ve come to the conclusion that there are few other things I’d rather have as a light lunch. I know you can’t really go wrong with whats essentially posh cheese on toast, but when you add an egg, something good becomes something special.

There are different shapes, sizes and methods, but the common ground is in the cheese which is usually either Emmental or Gruyère (a combination of the two might be rather good), and I prefer the sourdough bread version as opposed the the white processed one.

It’s not rocket science, but there are a couple of touches and flourishes to make your croque extra tasty, so lets crack on.

Ingredients (per serving)

1 large slice of good sourdough bread, sliced about half an inch thick

A handful of grated emmental cheese

2 slices of good quality smoked ham

Dijon mustard

1 egg

Salt & pepper to taste

Method

First of all, get your grill on so it’s nice and hot. Cut a nice large slice from the centre of a loaf, and then lightly toast on both sides.

When this is done, spread some Dijon mustard on one side sparingly before laying the slices of ham on top. Next put the grated cheese on top. Its a good idea to pile the cheese slightly towards the centre, but try and make sure there’s a bit covering the edges to protect them when they’re under the heat.

Sprinkle on a little salt and pepper and then pop under the grill. When you’ve done this, get a frying pan on and cook your egg. By the time it’s done, the cheese on the top of your croque should be golden and bubbling.

Take out, pop on a plate and then slide the egg on top. Serve immediately with salad, or if you’re feeling a bit hungrier, some frites.

Bon appétit.

It’s bloody cold in London right now, and add hangovers into the mix from all the Christmas partying, you need some seriously restorative food to get you back on an even keel. This French onion soup ticks all the boxes in terms of comforting, warming and tasty sustenance, and will have you ready for that next session of festive boozing before you can say zut alors!

Ingredients

Olive oil

Large nob of butter

1kg of onions

5 fat cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

70ml French brandy

150ml French white wine

750ml chicken stock

750ml beef stock

Plenty of freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of salt

For the croutons:

French bread, sliced on the diagonal and toasted

1 clove garlic

Grated Gruyere cheese

Method

Peel and half the onions, and then slice them finely. Melt the butter and the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan or casserole dish, and then add the onions, garlic, thyme and salt and fry them slowly on a medium heat. The idea is to sweat the onions down and cook them until they become golden, sticky and sweet. This will take a good 15  minutes.

When you’ve got to this point, add the brandy and set light to it to burn off the harsh alcohol. This will start to deepen the flavour of the soup. Next add the white wine, and de-glaze the pan, scraping off any sticky bits from the bottom and around the sides. You’re now ready to add the stock, do this and bring up to simmering point. Taste, and add salt / freshly ground black pepper as you prefer. The soup needs about another 15-20 minutes simmering to reduce a bit and let the flavour develop.

Whilst the soup is simmering, get your grill on as high as it will go. Cut your French bread on the diagonal in centimetre thick slices, and lightly toast on both sides. Once done, cut a clove of garlic in half, and rub all over one side of the toasted bread. Then grate a bunch of the Gruyere.

When the soup is ready, ladle it into what ever bowls you are going to eat it from. Cover the surface of the soup with the garlic croutons, sprinkle on a good quantity of the grated Gruyere and then pop under the grill.

The soups are ready to eat once the Gruyere is bubling, and the edges of the croutons have gone dark brown (be careful not to burn them). Serve with a final grinding of black pepper.