Shop Boy's Journey of Culinary Expansion: Footy Inspired Burger Mystery Box

It has become a tradition that each State of Origin game, my partner and I celebrate by having copious amounts of beer and eating different footy food.

Through the course of the series we work through a combination of meat pies, hot dogs, pizza and burgers, however with last night being the decider we thought we needed to up the anti a bit.

But how do you up the anti on footy food?

By having a Footy / Masterchef Inspired Burger Mystery Box of course!

My partner selected five ingredients to be included in our dinner before we left for work and when I got home I was able to go to the fridge and find my key ingredients.

Luckily my partner is very nice.

My key ingredients were mince, bacon, eggs, Turkish bread and olive tapenade, all of which can easily make a home for themselves on a burger.

With my ingredients now known, I got to work to on coming up with the ultimate burger. After a quick skim through the pantry I found more ingredients and I was off.

I started by assembling the ultimate patty. I mixed the mince with an egg, flat-leaf parsley, the olive tapenade, some rolled oats, some finely diced onion and a clove of garlic before seasoning and refridgerating (to firm up).

At this point, I realised that a burger invention test, when not on Masterchef, is pretty damn easy. I was basically done. All I had to do was toast the bread, fry the bacon and the patties and prepare some salad to go on top…easy.

I then decided to have a rest, watch some Golden Girls on Gem and have a beer.

An hour and two and a half beers later, my partner arrived home to me on the couch and the patties still in the fridge.

This is why people say not to count your chickens before they hatch…I got cocky and dinner was delayed.

I shot up as quickly as the two and a half beers would allow me (I’m getting old) and started heating a fry pan whilst getting a start on the aforementioned tasks I had remaining.

Half an hour, another beer and the beginning of second episode of Friends later, we sat down to eat the burgers.

I don’t mean to blow my own trumpet…but they were awesome. The patties packed a flavour punch that I’m sure would have George telling me to…advance…Austrayl-ya…FOOD.