Chickpea and Lemon Burgers

Much healthier than the usual meat-based burgers.

Vegetarian. Hands-on time: 10 mins. Total time: 50 mins.

Contributed by Moira Adams (February 2008).

Here's a quick and easy vegetarian burger that can be served either as part of a main course or in a burger bun or sandwich. It has a nice sharp lemon tang. The quantities given here will make four to six burgers, depending on the size. You can do most of the preparation in advance, leaving only the final baking to the end.

Ingredients

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled
• 14-oz (400-gm) can of chickpeas
• juice of a large lemon
• 1 small onion, very finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup (2 oz, 50g) cheddar or other hard cheese, grated
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, chives or marjoram
• salt and pepper to taste
• flour for coating
• oil for roasting

Method

Oven: Pre-heat to 325F (170C)

Start by cutting the potatoes into quarters. Place them in a pan of salted water and boil until soft.

While the potatoes are cooking, drain and rinse the chickpeas. Place half of them in a large bowl along with the lemon juice, and mash with a fork.

When the potatoes are ready, drain well and mash. Add to the mashed chickpeas, along with the whole chickpeas and all the other ingredients except the flour and oil. Mix thoroughly.

Turn onto a floured board and form into patty shapes. Coat on both sides with flour. Place in an oiled roasting tin and cook in the oven for about half an hour, turning at least once.

Note on quantities and temperatures:
Quantities are given in American (cups), imperial (oz, fl oz) and metric (g, ml) units. Do not mix the units - use one or other system throughout the recipe.
See also How much does a cup weigh?
oz = ounces, fl oz = fluid ounces, g = grams, ml = milliliters, tsp = teaspoons, tbsp = tablespoons.
Oven temperatures are given in degrees F (Fahrenheit) and C (Celsius).
For fan-assisted ovens, reduce the temperature by 20F or 10C.