Cheesy American Style Bacon Smash Burger

Meanwhile, grate the cheese. 

Trim the baby cucumber, then halve lengthways. Thinly slice widthways.

In a medium bowl, combine the red wine vinegar and sugar for pickling (see pantry for amount). Season with salt and pepper, then add the cucumber.

Mix together well, then set aside to pickle.

In a large bowl, combine the beef mince and salt for the burgers (see pantry for amount), then season with pepper. 

Mix together with your hands, then roll loosely into even-sized balls, 1 per person. Sandwich each ball of mince between two pieces of baking paper or cling film.

Pop onto a board. Using the bottom of a saucepan, press down hard to flatten the mince into 1/2cm thick patties. TIP: The burgers will shrink a little during cooking. IMPORTANT: Wash your hands and equipment after handling raw mince.

Meanwhile, lay the bacon in a single layer onto a lined baking tray and bake on the middle shelf of your oven until golden brown and crispy, 10-15 mins. IMPORTANT: Wash your hands and equipment after handling raw meat. Cook bacon thoroughly.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large frying pan on high heat.

Once hot, use a spatula to carefully lift one of the patties off the paper and into the pan. 

Fry until browned on the outside and cooked through, 5-6 mins in total. Carefully turn them every 1-2 mins and lower the heat if needed. IMPORTANT: The burgers are cooked when no longer pink in the middle.

Transfer the cooked burger to a large baking tray and repeat with the remaining patties. 

Once all of the burgers have been cooked through, top with the grated cheese. Bake on the middle shelf of your oven, alongside the bacon rashers, until melted and golden, 3-4 mins. 

Meanwhile, halve the burger buns. Put into the oven to warm through, 2-3 mins.

Add the baby leaves and olive oil (see pantry) to the bowl of cucumber and toss together.