Portabello mushrooms are sufficiently meaty to serve as a starter or vegetarian main course if you have sauéed potatoes with them and a salad. Stacked with beef or lamb burger they serve to add flavour and juiciness to the dish.

Ingredients - serves 4

4 lamb burgers
1 lemon cut into 4 wedges

4 portabello mushrooms - remove the stalks for the stuffing
2 tbsp olive oil
100g fresh breadcrumbs
25g butter
1 small onion
grated zest of 1 small lemon
10g fresh coriander
salt, pepper
1 small egg

Method

Pre heat the oven to 200°C
Coarsely chop the onion and place it in a food processor with breadcrumbs, butter, lemon zest, coriander, mushroom stalks, some salt and pepper and the egg. Blitz briefly to incorporate everything - but don’t overwork or you’ll lose all texture.

Fry off the outer side of the mushrooms to brown in the olive oil and turn briefly before sitting them open side up on a roasting tray. Divide the stuffing mixture between the mushrooms and press lightly over the surface (a crumbly surface will crispen up more successfully) and transfer to the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the stuffing is colouring.

While the mushrooms cook, fry off or grill the burgers. Serve propped over a stuffed mushroom with sautéed potatoes and wedges of the zested lemon - a squeeze of juice over the mushrooms seasons them beautifully.