The 10 Best Sandwitches

Method:

Student Burger

There are gourmet burgers, there are smash burgers, and then there is the Student Burger.

This is not the burger you make when you have planned a barbecue, bought proper buns, prepared toppings, and cleaned the kitchen in advance. This is the burger you make at two in the morning, after a party, during a party, or during that strange moment when the party has moved into the kitchen and everyone suddenly realises they are starving.

The folklore of the Student Burger is simple: students rarely have proper burger bread when they actually need it. There might be sliced bread. There might be an old roll. There might be something that was once a baguette and is now more archaeological than edible. But proper burger buns? Almost never. That is part of the charm. The Student Burger is not about perfection. It is about hunger, improvisation, and making something ridiculously satisfying with what is actually in the kitchen.

The meat

Mix the minced beef and minced pork in a bowl. The beef brings the proper burger flavour, while the pork keeps the patty juicy and forgiving. Add the Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, and, if you are brave and wise, two anchovy fillets mashed into a paste.

The anchovies are the secret ingredient. They do not make the burger taste fishy. They melt into the meat and make everything taste deeper, saltier, and more savoury. If anyone asks why the burger is so good, you can either tell them the truth or simply look mysterious.

Mix gently. Do not knead the meat like bread dough. Students may be impatient, but the meat still deserves a little respect.

Shape the patties

Divide the mixture into four balls, then press each one very thin, about 1/2 cm thick. They will look almost too thin, but this is exactly the point. A thin patty cooks quickly, browns beautifully in the pan, and fits into whatever bread situation the night has provided.

Cook the burgers

Heat a heavy frying pan until it is properly hot. Put the patties in the pan and leave them alone for about 2 minutes. Do not poke them, do not chase them around the pan, and do not start a philosophical discussion about whether this is technically a smash burger.

Flip the patties, then immediately put a slice of burger cheese on top of each one. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the cheese melts and the burger looks like the best decision anyone has made all evening.

Assemble

Toast the bread if you can. If you cannot, do not worry. Student food has survived worse.

Spread Dijon mustard on one side of the bread. Add just a little ketchup on the other side. Really, just a little. This burger wants a tiny sweet note, not a tomato-flavoured swimming pool.

Put the cheesy patty inside the bread and eat immediately.

Serving

No lettuce is required. No tomato is required. No avocado is invited. This is a fast, hot, slightly chaotic burger made for hungry people at 2am. Serve with crisps, leftover salad, pickles, or nothing at all.