American Hamburgers

Recipe from 'Marvellous Meals with Mince' caption at beginning of chapter 'Strange to see how a good dinner and feasting reconciles everybody' Samuel Pepys These hamburgers are given extra flavour by the addition of a little smoked bacon and some capers. Of course, hamburgers taste best when they have the slightly charred flavour of being cooked on an open-air barbecue, but the most important thing is to leave the centre moist and pink. serve between hot baps or buns with a good mixed salad

• Ready In: 15 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 450  g beef (ground)
• 50  g smoked streaky bacon, chopped finely
• 10  ml capers, chopped finely
• 3  pinches chili powder
• 10  ml caster sugar
•  salt
•  oil

Directions

1. Put the beef, bacon, capers, chilli powder and sugar in a bowl and mix together thoroughly, season with salt to taste. Divide the mixture into four and pat firmly into hamburgers approximately 1 cm thick. Smear all over with oil. Heat the grill to its hottest and put the hamburgers high up under it. Grill for 2 minutes on each side.