Christmas themed burgers are somewhat of a rarity. With all the family lunches, work-related parties and the obligatory social circle dinners, the last thing you need to stuff your stomach with is a burger… or so we thought until we did a survey last January. 14 burger joints (located in central areas) we talked to, reported record burger sales in December, when compared to previous months of the year. People do anything for Xmas shopping, they even challenge rain, wind, and hail; and after a shopping spree, coffee with pizza or burger is always due!
So why don’t we see more Christmas themed burgers? Restaurants are exceedingly busy during this month, and they usually trim down their menu to optimise cooking time and keep up with the demand, which is a good plan. But what about our traditional turkey burger with cranberry sauce? Well, that’s where Just Burger in Sliema comes in! In 2017 they have churned out new burgers every month, and if that was not enough, more lately they are even doing weekly specials! Because of their turnover and overall quality, they have become the 2017 Kings of express burgers. Move over McDonald’s; Just Burger is THE burger place where you can get a high-standard burger meal (Angus burger, drink, fries & dip) for under €10!
The December burger is made out of staple Xmas food:
- A layer of roasted Brussels sprouts with cubes of bacon
- 140gr Angus beef patty
- Fried Parsnip crisps
- chevre sauce made out of goat cheese and salt & pepper
- Spiced cranberry and mandarin compote
While we miss the turkey flavour in this burger, the Angus beef patty made us forget this detail very quickly. Just Burger get their own fresh cuts of Angus beef and mince and create the patty in their own kitchen. There is no closely-guarded recipe here; it’s just quality beef! Their patty delivers tenderness and is always juicy and fully flavored. The bun is made from their own Swedish recipe and produced by a local bakery. They have a gluten-free bread option too, which will be very welcome by many. The fried parsnips add the necessary level of crunch. If you are one of those who is convinced that you don’t like Brussels sprouts, this burger will make you think twice. The kitchen guys have tricked us to eat sprouts by throwing bacon in the mix! Very cunning indeed!
The highlight of this burger-creation are the two sauces. The compote has signs of cranberry, mandarin, cinnamon and lemon zest. The French chevre sauce is tangy and creamy as you would expect from a goat milk product. These sauces create a balanced and delicious taste, which pushes this burger to further savory levels.
There’s still a thing or two to go…
We’ve told you in the past about the potato goodness of the Just Burger fries. Just Burger import these bags of chips exclusively and are crisped to a level we’ve seldom seen. They are generously seasoned and aren’t greasy, complimenting their burgers. We’ve tested them once again, and they truly deserve the King of Fries crown!
As if that’s not enough, Just Burger have just come up with two new special milkshakes for this merry season. The Gingerbread has a mix of cookies and rum, while the Christmas Spice has the flavour of cranberries and mandarin. These shakes are really dense, with a creamy consistency and these two flavours in particular, drive your tastebuds into a festive mood. If you like the genuine-tasting milkshakes from New York Best, you need to try these two right now!
One last thing… if you need to cute-isize your burger with a Xmas hat on top, like the one in our photos, bring one from home! We did!
