Nobody ought to figure out why I turned into developing any other veggie burger. My first foray into meatless burgers was BA’s Best Veggie Burger, a no-holds-barred, maximalist veggie burger inside the fashion of Superiority Burger. Twelve months later, I accompanied that up with a black-bean tofu burger designed to rise to the excessive heat of the grill. So what was there left to say? Plenty.
I nevertheless wanted to make a weeknight-friendly vegan burger with a simple ingredient list. I tried to use lentils, considering I had the lentil burger at Village Coffee and Goods in Kingston, NY, which they serve on their housemade gluten-loose bread with garlicky mayo. At Village Coffee, the lentils shape a patty that has a crispy texture along the sides but is jammy and creamy internally. It isn’t overwrought or overthought. It’s simple.
The key with this recipe is to boil the lentils like pasta in salted water until they’re among al dente and just gentle but nowhere near falling apart (through which point they’ll have absorbed too much water andn’t behave.) Drain them nicely, then lay them on a rimmed baking sheet for about ten minutes to cool slightly and steam off a few extra waters.
The lentils are mashed together with chopped mushrooms, miso, smoked paprika, olive oil, and grated garlic until they are partly smashed with masses of whole lentils. A little flour binds the entire lot together; it’s time to form the patties. You should end up with six patties, which you can cook straight away or store in the refrigerator for several days.
Keep them protected in a big bowl, then form just before cooking to keep the patties from drying out.
When cooking the burgers, make sure to use a nonstick skillet and don’t skimp on the oil. The lentils will soak up some as they prepare dinner and get crispy and flavorful. From there, you may pinnacle them with cheese, slick them with yogurt, or pile on sprouts or shredded lettuce. Veggie burgers, using nature, take more work than meat-based ones, but they need to feel (or flavor) like a compromise by no means.
