Mini beef patties

• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz)ground (minced) beefnot extra-lean, so the patties stay moist; plain, with nothing added (check the label for salt or seasoning)
• 1 mediumpotatoabout 150 g (5 oz)
• ½ smallonion
• 1 tbspvegetable or olive oilfor the onion and the tray

Steps

1. 1Wash your hands. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking tray. Scrub the potato with a clean vegetable brush under running water, peel it, and cut away any green, damaged or sprouting parts. Rinse the onion, peel it and chop it finely.
2. 2Cut the potato into chunks and boil for about 15 minutes, until a knife slides through with no resistance. Don't add salt to the water. Drain, mash it smooth and let it cool.
3. 3Cook the onion gently in 1 tsp of the oil for about 10 minutes, stirring, until very soft and see-through, with no crunch. Don't add salt or stock cubes. Mash it into the potato so there are no slippery strips, and let it cool for 10 minutes.
4. 4Put the beef and the potato and onion mash in a bowl and mix well with a fork or clean hands, picking out any hard gristle or bits of bone. Don't rinse the raw beef, and don't taste the raw mixture. Wash your hands, the board and anything else that touched raw beef in hot, soapy water.
5. 5For your baby, shape the mixture into fingers about 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in), flattened rather than round. Shape the rest into small round patties for the family. Place them on the tray and brush them lightly with the rest of the oil.
6. 6Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, turning them halfway, until cooked through and 160°F (71°C) in the center of the thickest one, checked with a food thermometer. For thin patties, push the thermometer in sideways. No pink should be left inside.
7. 7Let them cool on the tray. Break one open and squash it between your thumb and finger: it should break apart easily and feel soft and moist, not springy or rubbery. Trim off any crisp or chewy edges, and check they're only just warm before serving.