Fan-Tasty: Undertale's Grillby's Burg

Undertale is a 2015 RPG that is, in the creator's own words, "a traditional role-playing game where no one has to get hurt." Created by Toby Fox, it's amassed a massive following since it's release in September and it's currently available on Steam for PC or Mac.

Without giving too much away, food plays an integral role in the game, acting as a buffer for your health points or HP (similar to most RPGs) as well as providing certain advantages that you'll have to discover on your own or alternatively, watch a play-through on Youtube or read the in-depth Wikipedia. 

I'm a bit late to the party, but better late than never! I fell in love with the soundtrack, characters and dialogue and I was filled with inspiration (or should that be DETERMINATION)? So without further ado, I present Grillby's Burger.

Grillby is a non-playable character in Undertale and he runs a bar in the first town the protagonist reaches, also called 'Grillby's'. It's apparently known for it's greasy fare; and although neither are consumable items in the game, the protagonist is offered either a serve of chips or a burger depending on key events that I won't go into detail here.

(source) Concept art is an amazing thing. Also GRILLBERT.

Burgers and chips complement each other, just like cheese and crackers, bacon and eggs, jam and scones; so when I was faced with the difficult choice of choosing just one or the other, I was slightly disappointed. But the game's the game and this is real life, so we can have burgers and chips if we want to!

Originally when I was drafting ideas, I had the intention of cooking triple cooked chips; it's been something I've wanted to try for a while now. I first came to know of these through watching Heston's Great British Food series where he tries and succeeds with great aplomb to reinvent the humble fish and chips. If you're particularly interested in learning how to cook them and have 3 minutes to spare, you can watch a clip of Heston talking about potatoes here from his 'In Search of Perfection' series. However when I approached mumma sloth about making triple cooked chips, I got rebuked with a resounding 'No way' and a lecture about the nutritional value of deep frying. So, this post will not be featuring triple cooked chips, but I managed to rustle up some incredibly crunchy baked chips instead. Basically it's the same process as following one of those recipes on the internet that tout themselves as 'World's best roast potato' or something along those lines, except cut the potatoes into chip shapes rather than chunks.

The burger patty itself was inspired by the Jucy Lucy (sic) or Juicy Lucy, a variation on the traditional cheeseburger where instead of the cheese being on the top of the patty, it's inside the patty resulting in a cheesy, melty suprise when bitten into. For added decadence, I decided to add bacon, caramelised onion, tomato relish, aioli and a sunny side up egg; but really, go nuts with whatever you want! The recipe itself is super easy and very customisable to your own tastes, so explore different flavours and seasonings, and find something that tickles your tastebuds!

Super basic patty recipe: mince, breadcrumbs and egg

There is no way to take a flattering picture of mince.

So juicy! Be warned the cheese may leak during cooking if you don't seal it properly!

Didn't quite manage to get a photo while the patty was still melty, but still good.

Basically you boil the potatoes until they're on the verge of falling apart, then chuck them in the oven in some oil that's been heated up in an deep baking tray or something; me personally, I'd advise against using a baking sheet because it's shallower and hot oil + skin = ouch. I cooked them at 200'C for maybe an hour, flipping them every 20 minutes or so, or at least until they start turning golden brown. Once you're happy with how they're looking, take them out and transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb any excess oil, then tuck in! 

'Burg' 

Makes 4-5 patties

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• 250g beef mince
• 250g pork mince
• 1-2 Tbs barbeque sauce
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 C breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp mixed herbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil
• mozzarella or any other cheese that strikes your fancy

Plus any other things you want in your burger

METHOD

1. Put everything except the cheese in a bowl and combine until uniform
2. Take some mixture roughly the size of your palm and make a small divot in the middle
3. Press a small portion of cheese into the divot, then cover with more mince and flatten until the cheese is no longer showing.
4. Shape into a patty shape then fry over medium-high heat, fliping once, to your desired done-ness
5. Serve alongside chips and tomato sauce and enjoy the melty, cheesy patty!

Happy slothing!!
xx