Milanaise de veau haché

Veal burgers, French style

This sophisticated French take on the burger is also child friendly when served on a bun. Chopped veal is mixed with dried herbs, garlic, salt, pepper and Comté or a similar cheese, then formed into patties, breaded and fried. The whole process takes about 20 minutes.

Finding chopped veal might prove to be the most difficult part of the recipe, depending on where you live. In France, it’s available at butchers and at the supermarket. Elsewhere, ask your butcher to include some fat when chopping the veal. Or you can chop it at home.

For the breading, I use breadcrumbs mixed with a little flour. The best plan is to make the breadcrumbs yourself — fresher than the store-bought kind. The easiest method is to use a rolling pin to crush dry rusks, such as melba toast or biscottes. Alternatively you can pulversize stale bread in a food processor and bake the crumbs in the oven very briefly.

As for the herbs, the mixture known as herbes de Provence typically includes dried thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano and savory, and sometimes tarragon and/or marjoram as well. If you’re not in France and cannot find ready-mixed herbes de Provence, simply combine your dried herbs in a small bowl and store in an airtight jar.

The quantities below will make four veal patties. You can use more or less meat depending on the appetites of those at the table.

1 pound (400-500 g) chopped veal
2 ounces (50-60 g) hard cheese: Comté, Gruyère, Emmenthal
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tsp. herbes de Provence
1/2 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
1 cup breadcrumbs (4 crushed biscottes)
2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. butter

Place the chopped veal in a large bowl.

Grate the cheese, using the smaller holes of your grater. You should have about one cup of grated cheese, loosely packed. Add to the bowl. Mix the veal and cheese together, making sure that the cheese is well distributed and does not form clumps.

Mix in the minced garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Add the egg. Mix well to blend — I find this is easiest using your hands. Form the meat mixture into four large balls.

Mix the breadcrumbs and flour together and spread on a large board. Have a smaller board and a plate standing by.

Flatten one meatball into a patty on the small board. Make it as round as possible, with no cracks. Dip the patty into the breadcrumbs to cover it well on all sides. Smooth the edges. Place on the plate. Repeat with the rest of the meatballs.

Heat the olive oil and butter to sizzling in a large skillet. Fry the patties until golden, about 5 minutes per side, turning the heat down about halfway through to avoid burning.

Serve accompanied by pasta, the veggie of your choice and/or a salad — or on buns for the kids, perhaps with homemade fries.

Serves 4.