Spiced Potato Veggie Burger Adventure

The store-bought vegan veggie burgers were a treat during grilling seasons of yore, tasting gloriously like samosa filling. A few years back, we got some after reading rave reviews. Each time we’d visit this particular specialty grocery store chain, a frozen box or two went in the basket.

Then the pandemic rolled in. Curbside pickup wasn’t an option — this store has notoriously small parking lots anyway. Friends in town saw lines stretching around the block during capacity limits.

Not eager to risk all that for a veggie burger, I set out to reverse-engineer it.

Internet search results revealed similar efforts, but no definitive answer. My slightly mad mashup approach began with an ingredient list photo from the packaging that someone posted online. The generic “spices” prompted me to review Deb’s chana masala recipe on Smitten Kitchen for ideas. The tip to use waxy yellow potatoes came from my memories of the burger and The Minimalist Baker’s Indian potato cakes, which I’ve always wanted to try.

A copycat recipe had helpful suggestions although that link won’t load any more. Hmm. Someone — Joe, perhaps? — wants this to stay secret. Probably best if I avoid naming the store here.

Ingredient lists usually start with the most prevalent ingredients and continue in decreasing order. Although we have citric acid for cleaning, lemon juice seemed like a decent replacement. Besides “potatoes” and “spices,” the other question was what to do about cellulose gum, a stabilizer that also serves as a thickener. Worry about that later, I thought.

In a twist, my first several attempts at the burger produced a flavor that was remarkably close to the original. The only problem: texture. These patties were so tender that big pieces kept dropping right out of the buns.

I tried adding more breadcrumbs, more starchy water, less starchy water, a bit of rice flour, letting the mixture sit overnight in the fridge, and even coating the outsides with panko. Nothing worked. Curse you, cellulose gum! We did polish off a lot of tasty potato patties, though.

Fast-forward to now. Could I pick up a few veggie burgers at the store with less risk? Probably. But when it comes to solving a recipe mystery, I’m no quitter.

Ultimately, adding two eggs helped slightly. So did accidentally over-cooking the patties in the pan until they were deep brown — almost burned — on one side. A few small crumbs fell out of the bun when we ate that batch, but Guillaume reassured me that the texture was the best so far.

If you want to keep this vegan, you can omit the eggs, but keep in mind that the patties will be extremely tender. Maybe put out some forks just in case.

Spiced Potato Veggie Burgers

Makes approximately 6 patties

1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes
3 – 4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 C. mixed frozen vegetables (peas, carrots, green beans, corn)
½ C. traditional bread crumbs
½ C. (4 oz.) red bell pepper
¼ C. (2 oz.) yellow onion
½ Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 large eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

Spice Mix:
1 tsp. ground coriander
¼ tsp. ground cumin
⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. cumin seeds
¼ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. garam masala
¼ tsp. ground ginger
⅛ tsp. turmeric
¼ tsp. mustard seeds
¼ tsp. salt

To Serve:
Lightly toasted burger buns
Fresh lettuce
Sauce of your choice, such as this Greek one

Note: You can omit the eggs, but the patties will be very delicate. Also, you can do half red bell pepper and half green bell pepper instead. Yellow and orange bell peppers also work.

Measure out the spice mix in a small bowl. Peel and cut the potatoes into a ¼-inch dice, putting them in a bowl filled with cold water as you go.

Remove around ½ cup of the diced potatoes, add water to a small pot, and parboil them for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Put the rest of the potatoes in a medium pot and cover them in cold water. Set heat to high. Once they begin boiling, cook over high heat for 15 minutes, or until they’re tender. Reserve ½ cup of starch water. Drain and place them in a large glass mixing bowl.

While the potatoes boil, finely dice the red bell pepper. Peel and dice the onion piece. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Rinse the frozen veggies in cold water for a minute or until they come unstuck. Drain, add to a mini food processor, and pulse several times to roughly chop them.

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium and sauté the onion until beginning to get translucent, about 3 minutes. Season with a little salt and some freshly ground pepper. Add the diced bell peppers and continue cooking, stirring occasionally for another couple minutes, lowering the heat if they begin to brown. Turn off the heat and set the pan aside.

Mash the potatoes in a medium glass mixing bowl. Switching to a spoon, mix in the spices, sugar, crumbs, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons starch water. Add the sautéed veggies and chopped frozen veggies last, mixing until uniform. Mix in the eggs, if using. Fold in the parboiled diced potatoes. Season with more salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

If the mixture seems too wet to form into patties once you’ve chilled it, slowly incorporate more bread crumbs and sprinkle in a little more salt until it has better consistency.

Form into patties. Coat the bottom of a nonstick skillet with vegetable oil and set to medium heat. Heat burgers for 5 minutes on each side, turning down the heat if they begin to brown too quickly. Serve on toasted buns with fresh lettuce and your sauce of choice.