Who doesn’t love a good burger? This is something you do not need to miss out on when you are eating vegetarian, thanks to innovations from companies like Beyond Meat, Future Meat, and the Vegetarian Butcher.
These three companies sell burgers that are indistinguishable from their meat counterparts. They are the perfect example of how you can easily make your favourite meals vegetarian by using meat replacements. But what truly completes a good burger dish are the side dishes. For this, we also have a new favourite: sweet potato fries. And to balance it out, we add a fresh tomato salad.
This recipe is a favourite throughout the year but the addition of sweet potato fries makes it just that little bit more festive. Are you only looking for a quick version? Just prepare the burger following the steps of the recipe and add your own side dishes (nothing wrong with regular fries!).
Beyond Burger with sweet potato fries and a fresh tomato salad
20 minutes preparation + 30 minutes cooking — serves 2 people
Special equipment: Airfryer
The airfryer is only used to prepare the sweet potato fries but you can also use a conventional oven — but it will increase the cooking time — or you can replace the sweet potato fries with your own favourite side dish.
Ingredients
For the burger
- Beyond Burger (pack of two)
- Burger buns
- Onion
- Garnishing to taste (we use tomato and a lettuce mix)
- Oil
For the tomato salsa
- 400 grams cherry tomatoes
- 1 table spoon of Italian herbs
- Olive oil
- Avocado (optional)
For the sweet potato fries
- 3 medium sized sweet potatoes
- 50 grams of corn flour (you can use regular flour too)
- Oil
- Salt
- Vinegar
Preparation: Sweet potato fries
I recommend starting this dish by preparing the sweet potato fries. Once they are in the airfryer/oven, you will have time to prepare the Beyond Burger and the tomato salad.
- Boil water in a large pot, add a splash of vinegar and salt. Stir to dissolve the salt.
- Preheat the airfryer (or oven) to 200 degrees Celsius.
- Peel the sweet potato and cut them in the shape of fries, with a maximum thickness of 1 cm.
- Add the sweet potato fries to the boiling water. Cook for 4 minutes.
- Mix the (corn)flour with 80 grams of water in a mixing bowl, taking care to smooth out any lumps. As soon as the sweet potato fries have finished cooking, strain the water using a colander and add the sweet potato fries to the flour mix. Toss them through the mixture to ensure all sides of the fries are covered with the batter.
- Spray or pour some oil over the fries. Place the fries into the airfryer or oven and bake for 15 minutes. It could be that you need to prepare the fries in two batches. Take care not to overload the airfryer as it will stop the fries from becoming crispy and makes them stick together. If using an oven, place the fries on a baking tray lines with baking paper. After 15 minutes, turn the fries around, possibly add a bit more oil, and leave them to bake for another 10-15 minutes until crisp (see step 13).
Preparation: Burger garnishing and tomato salad
- Peel the onion and cut them in half rings.
- Heat some oil in a pan and once hot, add the onion rings. Fry for about 8 minutes on a low to medium heat until golden and crispy.
- While the onion is caramelising, wash the cherry tomatoes. Cut them in quarters. Optional: remove the skin of the avocado, remove the core. Cut the avocado in pieces of 1cm thick.
- Crush the Italian herbs between your fingers. Mix them with 3 table spoons of olive oil and 3 table spoons of water to create a dressing.
- Pour the dressing over the tomatoes and mix through the avocado if using. Keep separate.
- Take the caramelised onion out of the pan. Reheat the pan on a low heat. Cut the burger buns in half and place them smooth side down in the pand to crisp them up. Take them out of the pan after about 2 minutes. Keep separate.
Finishing touches: Beyond Burger and sweet potato fries
- Check the sweet potato fries in line with step 6. All going well, your first 15 minutes of baking should be done now, so you will need to turn the fries and potentially add a bit more oil. Bake them for another 10-15 minutes.
- Reheat the pan again with a good bit of oil. Once heated, add the Beyond Burgers and cook for c. 8-10 minutes. Turn them a few times to make sure each side is heated and cooked equally.
- Finish the burger and add garnishing to taste. Our favourite order is: bottom of the burger bun, lettuce, tomato, bit of fried onion, burger, some more fried onion, top of the burger bun.
- Check that the sweet potato fries are crispy. Serve with the burger and tomato salsa.
Enjoy your meal!
Do you want to know more about how to prepare the perfect sweet potato fries or why you should add vinegar to the water when boiling the sweet potatoes? Our approach is inspired by Ethan Chlebowsky on YouTube.
Did you like this?
Leave a comment below if you made this recipe, and let me know what you think. Tips and feedback to improve the recipe are always welcome too!