Australia Day is fast approaching. This Saturday. January 26th. I can’t think of anything more Australian than a burger cooked on the BBQ. The classic Aussie burger always includes a slice of beetroot.

This weekend I was back in Canberra. Visiting my parents. My brother fired up the BBQ for lunch and made burgers for everyone. His version of the works? Eggs, bacon, caramelised onions, beetroot, rocket and tomatoes. Incredibly delicious. And so very filling! I know many people swear by the addition of cheese and even slices of pineapple. Add them if you wish. But honestly I think you would be hard-pressed fitting anything else into these burgers. In our family we serve our sauces on the side. It keeps everybody happy.

Mark’s Aussie Burgers With the Works.

Serves 6

For the patties
250 g pork mince
250 g beef or veal mince
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bullet chilli, minced
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 small sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
3 small sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and finely chopped
2 small sprigs fresh oregano, leaves stripped and finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper to taste.

To serve
6 hamburger buns halved and toasted
1/2 cup caramelised onions
1 cup rocket leaves
2 tomatoes, sliced
6 slices beetroot
6 eggs, fried on grill
6 rashers bacon, grilled

To prepare hamburgers
FRY onion, garlic and chilli in a little olive oil on medium heat until translucent. Remove from heat and cool.
PLACE all ingredients into a large bowl. Mix well to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
DIVIDE mixture into six evenly sized portions. Shape into patties.
CHILL in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
GRILL patties on hot BBQ for about 4 minutes each side until cooked.
WHILE patties are cooking, cook bacon rashers and eggs on the BBQ plate.

To assemble
Place patties on the base of toasted hamburger buns.
Add bacon, egg, onion, tomato, beet root and rocket leaves.
Top with remaining bun halves.
Serve with tomato,BBQ or chilli sauce on the side.