A quick, crowd-pleasing smash burger made with your own wild venison burgers. Pressed thin in a screaming-hot pan, the patties develop those craggy, crispy lace edges that make a smash burger so good, then get stacked with melty cheese, fresh salad, and a generous swipe of ready-made burger sauce. Paired with crispy paprika sweet potato fries, it's a brilliant midweek dinner that's on the table fast.
Wild venison is naturally lean and rich, so it's perfect for the smash method — cooked hot and fast, it stays juicy while building a deep, savoury crust. Best of all, using shop-bought sauce keeps things simple without skimping on flavour.
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes Total time: 45 minutes Serves: 2
Ingredients
For the burgers
- 4 wild venison burgers (your own)
- 1 tbsp neutral oil, for the pan
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 4 cheese slices
- 2 burger buns, halved
- 4 tbsp burger sauce (shop-bought)
For the salad
- 1 tomato, sliced
- 4 lettuce leaves
- ½ red onion, sliced into rings
For the sweet potato fries
- 2 sweet potatoes, cut into wedges
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- Pinch of salt
Method
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Roast the fries. Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan / 425°F). Toss the sweet potato wedges with the olive oil, smoked paprika, and a pinch of salt, then spread on a tray and roast for 30–35 minutes, flipping halfway, until crisp.
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Heat the pan and toast the buns. Put a heavy pan over high heat with the oil until very hot. Toast the cut sides of the buns in the pan until golden, then set aside.
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Smash the burgers. Place your venison burgers in the hot pan and squash each one flat with a spatula (a sheet of baking paper on top stops sticking). Season with salt and black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes until the edges are crisp and browned.
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Flip and cheese. Flip each patty, lay a slice of cheese on top, and cook for 1 minute more until the cheese melts. Don't overcook — venison is lean.
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Build and serve. Spread the burger sauce on both bun halves. Stack two cheesy patties per burger, then add the tomato, lettuce, and red onion. Crown with the bun lid and serve with the sweet potato fries.
Tips & Notes
- Don't overcook it. Wild venison is very lean, so cook it hot and fast and pull it the moment the cheese melts — overcooking dries it out.
- No need to shape. Don't worry about forming neat patties; just squash your burgers thin in the hot pan and let the edges crisp up into those signature lacy ruffles.
- Get the pan screaming hot. A properly hot pan is what creates the crispy, browned crust — make sure it's fully heated before the burgers go in.
- Make it a double. This recipe stacks two thin patties per burger for a proper smash-stack. For lighter burgers, use one patty each and serve four people instead.
- Spread them out. Give the fries room on the tray in a single layer so they roast and crisp rather than steam.