Mushroom Bean Burgers

Method

1. 1

   Cook the mushrooms dry

   ⏱ 12 min

   Heat half the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, onion and garlic with a pinch of salt and cook for 12 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pan is dry and the mushrooms have shrunk to about half their volume. Driving the water out now is what stops the patty falling apart later, so keep going until the pan stops hissing.

2. 2

   Mix the patty

   Tip the mushroom mixture into a mixing bowl and mash in the black beans, leaving a third of them whole so the patty has texture. Stir in the walnuts, rolled oats, breadcrumbs, ground flaxseed, smoked paprika, soy sauce, tomato paste and a good grind of black pepper. Squeeze a handful: it should hold its shape without weeping.

3. 3

   Shape and chill

   ⏱ 15 min

   Shape the mixture into patties, one per burger, each a little wider than your buns, since they tighten as they cook. Rest them on a plate in the fridge for 15 minutes. Skipping this is the single most common reason a scratch patty breaks in the pan.

4. 4

   Sear the patties

   ⏱ 8 min

   Heat the rest of the vegetable oil in the skillet over medium heat and cook the patties for 4 minutes a side. Press each one once as it goes in and then leave it alone: a crust needs contact and time, and turning them repeatedly is what tears them. Lift them out, then toast the burger buns cut side down in the same pan for a minute.

5. 5

   Build

   Spread the vegan mayo and ketchup on the toasted cut sides. Build each burger on a plate: lettuce first so it keeps the base dry, then a patty, then the tomato.