Cheesy rarebit topped Glamorgan burgers
Considering I’m half Welsh, I don’t share many Welsh-inspired recipes here. I thought it was time for that to change, since Wales is responsible for some amazing dishes – mostly nice cheesy ones! These cheesy Glamorgan burgers are a little more labour-intensive than my usual 15 minute dinners (I swear there are fewer hours in the day than there were a few years ago?), but they were definitely worth the effort.
If you’re not familiar with Welsh food, the title of this recipe probably won’t make a huge amount of sense to you. They’re really a mish mash of two different Welsh dishes:
– Welsh rarebit – a gooey cheese sauce poured over crispy bread (basically fancy cheese on toast).
– Glamorgan sausages – cheesy vegetarian sausages made with Wales’ national emblem, the leek!
I decided to make Glamorgan burgers instead of Glamorgan sausages, just for a bit of a change, and so I had an excuse to dress them up with salad, a bun, and – the pièce de résistance – the cheesy rarebit topping.
Okay, let’s start with the Glamorgan burgers themselves. I added a tin of chickpeas to the recipe, which wouldn’t usually be found in Glamorgan sausages, just to add some protein and make them feel a bit more like a proper meal (I’m all for my meals being 90% cheese, but I do feel I should try to be a bit of a grown up sometimes too). The chickpeas are blitzed up and mixed with some breadcrumbs, lots of grated cheese, and some garlicky sautéed leeks. Absolutely gorgeous. I pan fried them to make sure they were nice and crispy on the outside, then finished them off in the oven.
(The eagle-eyed among you might notice that I started with 4 burgers in the pan, and ended up with only three. I didn’t eat a whole one while I was cooking – although it’s always tempting – but in the end I spread them out over two pans to give them a bit more space)
The Glamorgan burgers are amazing in their own right, so if you can’t be bothered faffing about with the cheesy rarebit sauce, you’ll still have an amazing dinner. But if you do have the time, everything is inevitably better when topped with cheese that’s both gooey and crispy at the same time.
I am literally in heaven with these.
Stick them in a bun with some lettuce and sliced tomatoes (there I go being a grown up again), and these rarebit topped Glamorgan burgers are pretty special.
Now I’m wondering what else I can top with rarebit… any ideas?
Cheesy rarebit topped Glamorgan burgers
Ingredients
For the Glamorgan burgers:
- 2 tbsp oil, divided
- 1 large leek (or 2 small), halved lengthwise then sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 400 g tin chickpeas, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
- 40 g bread (~ 1 medium slice) - I used wholemeal
- Small handful fresh parsley
- 130 g cheddar cheese, grated (~ 1 1/3 cups when grated)
- 1 egg
- Salt
- Black pepper
For the rarebit topping:
- 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tbsp plain flour
- 80 ml (~ 1/3 cup) milk
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 50 g cheddar cheese, grated (~ 1/2 cup when grated)
To serve:
- Burger buns, lettuce, sliced tomato, etc.
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan, and add the sliced leeks and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat, until soft and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
- Add the drained chickpeas, bread and parsley to a food processor, and blitz until well chopped.
- Transfer the chickpea mixture to a bowl, and add the cooked leeks, grated cheese, egg, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
- Form the mixture into thick burger shapes - I ended up with 5 Glamorgan burgers, but you could make 4 or 6 if you adjust their size.
- Heat another dash of oil in a frying pan, and add the burgers (or you may need to spread them out over two pans to give yourself more room to flip them over). Cook over a medium-high heat for a few minutes each side, until golden brown and crispy.
- Place on a lightly greased baking tray, and bake at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for around 20 minutes, until firm.
- To make the rarebit topping, melt the butter in a small saucepan, and add the flour. Cook for a minute or so, stirring regularly, to cook the flour. Add the milk a little at a time, stirring until smooth each time before adding more. When you've used all of the milk and you have a smooth sauce, add the mustard and grated cheese, and mix again until the cheese has melted.
- Add a couple of spoonfuls of the rarebit sauce to the top of each burger, and place under a hot grill (broiler) for a minute or so, to brown the cheese.
- Serve the rarebit topped Glamorgan burgers in buns with salad.
Notes
Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 1/5 of the recipe, not including bun or salad.
I LOVE these burgers! I make them regularly and freeze the rest of the batch for another day, I dont always have time to make the sauce to go on top and just add cheese instead, if you do have time though it makes it extra yummy! Thanks Becca!
Awesome! Thanks Donna :D
This looks amazing and i would loooove to try. I have an egg-allergic kiddo and wonder what (if anything)you might sub into the burgers. Maybe some grape seed oil or a bit of heavy cream? The old ground-flax-and-water combo? It’s so much easier with sweet dishes, when I can just toss in some applesauce or a mashed banana and call it a day. Thank you!
The egg in this recipe only serves to bind the burgers together, so I wouldn’t use oil or cream. If you’re familiar with an egg substitute like flax you could definitely give that a try, though I’m afraid I’ve never used it, so can’t say for sure how it would turn out. Otherwise, sometimes a few breadcrumbs can work to hold things together. Or a little bit of mashed sweet potato!
I’ve used this recipe without the egg, my suggestion is to chill them for an hour or two before cooking or grilling To be fair even if they do break apart they still taste great. I never have fresh herbs so I put a dollop of english mustard in there. Also my blender broke half way through this and a potato masher worked fine instead.
ps. Thanks Becca another great recipe!
Thanks Jo! Yes if you skip the egg I imagine they will fall apart a bit more, as the egg is what binds them together. Glad they still taste good though :)
I’m a huge fan of welsh rarebit and this looks a lovely adaption of the traditional cheese on toast
This recipe was delicious! Thanks!!
Awesome!! So glad you liked it :)
Dropping by to say thank you, my son is a picky eater but I am surprised that he was able to finish this burger. He loved it so much. Looking forward to more of your recipes. I am now a fan. :)
Yay! That’s amazing! So glad he enjoyed it :D
This looks absolutely amazing! And so happy to see I can just use regular cheddar cheese instead of one of your fab Welsh cheeses. I moved from the UK to Denmark last year so occasionally struggle to find (British) ingredients. Can’t wait to try this x
I mean, Caerphilly or something would be more authentic, but I always have cheddar in the fridge, so… ;)
Can the burgers/sausages be frozen ?
I haven’t tried but I don’t see why not! :)
I was literally moaning reading this recipe………nom nom nom!
Haha! I hope you enjoy them!