Burgers or Biftekia are another popular Greek dish. They are easy to make and again they are very popular with everybody especially the kids. You can double the quantity and use the leftovers in sandwiches or freeze them. A burger can be defrosted in the microwave any time somebody in the family feels hunger pangs.
Ingredients 250 gr. minced meat (pork, beef or a mixture of the two) 1 onion grated 2 – 3 slices brown bread 1 – 2 cloves garlic 1 egg 2 tablespoonfuls olive oil 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar 2 good pinches oregano About 1/3 cup evaporated milk ½ cup grated cheese if liked Salt, pepper 4 large potatoes peeled, washed and cut up in quarters (or they can be washed very well and left unpeeled) Olive oil for the pan
Directions
Put the bread in a bowl and add enough water to soak them. When they have soaked properly and are soft, squeeze the excess water. Place all the ingredients in a bowl, except the potatoes. Mix them well with your hand. The mixture should be soft. Place the bowl in the fridge for about one hour to allow the flavors to blend.
In the meantime place the potatoes in a pot with cold water and some salt and boil them for about 10 minutes. They should start softening up, but they must still be quite firm. When ready, drain them and keep them aside.
Take the bowl with the minced meat mixture out of the fridge and form large patties. Put a bit of olive oil in a baking pan and lay the patties. You can put a small knob of margarine on top of every patty. Drizzle the juice of one lemon over the burgers. Add about one cup of water in the pan, and bake at 200oC on air, for about 15 minutes. Just watch that they don’t burn. When the one side brown nicely, turn them over and bake until the other side also browns. Remove the burgers from the pan and keep them warm.
Place the potatoes in the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle a little olive oil over the potatoes and add a little water in the pan. Bake the potatoes until they are golden, turn over and bake the other side as well. When the potatoes are half boiled, they don’t take too long to cook in the oven. If you wish, you can run the tines of a form over the surface of the potatoes so that the rough surface can absorb more of the sauce. If all the water from the pan has evaporated, add a little more so that the potatoes don’t stick to the bottom. When the potatoes are soft, remove them from the pan. Serve them with the burgers, a fresh green salad or a nice Greek salad.
Enjoy!