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Thursday, June 27, 2013

ChezCindy: My New Favorite Lamb Burger

 


I have a bad habit of creating a new recipe and not documenting my process.  Too many times, my poor husband has asked for a repeat of something I made, and... oops, I forgot to write down what I did.  With sadness, he then states, "I'll never get to eat that again."  Last night I played around with a lamb burger recipe.  It was delicious.  My husband declared it to be his new favorite lamb burger.  I have several lamb burger recipes that I make often.  But this new creation has really jumped to the top of the list.  Even this morning, he asked if I could recreate that recipe.  And yes!  I wrote it down last night.  Happily, I am able to share this awesome lamb burger recipe with you and make it again for my husband. 

If you have not tried ground lamb as a burger, you should.  Lamb is just more flavorful than beef and it doesn't dry out as much when grilling.  Feta cheese is a natural pairing for lamb, but you could go without cheese or use white cheddar.  Cumin, Chinese 5-spice, and dried chili's or paprika are all great spices to add to ground lamb. 

This new recipe is the simplest of my collection, topped with sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced cucumbers and a spicy mayo.  I also recommend following the layering instructions: place the lamb burger onto a toasted bun, next add the thinly sliced cucumbers directly onto the burger.  This is a key step.  When fresh cucumbers come into contact with heat, they become "pickle-like" (here we are talking about the residual heat from the burger).   Therefore, we have a fresh pickle without the tang of the vinegar or pickle seasoning.  Next in the layering process, add the sliced tomatoes on top of the cucumbers.  Spread a generous amount of spicy mayo onto the top bun and place the top bun onto the tomatoes.  Tomatoes should always go next to the mayo, think of a BLT.  Okay, I admit it.  I am a bit of freak about sandwich order.  But trust me.  It really makes a difference for great sandwiches. 


Lamb Burger with Fresh "Pickles" and Spicy Mayo
1-pound fresh ground lamb
3/4 teaspoon Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons red wine
1-ounce crumbled feta cheese

toasted bun
fresh sliced tomatoes
thinly sliced cucumbers

Spicy Mayo
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 half - 1 teaspoon of hot sauce, depending on heat preference
1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar

Combine the ground lamb with the steak seasoning, salt, oil and red wine; using your hands, mix to combine.  Gently mix in the crumbled feta cheese.  Form into patties, each weighing about 5 ounces.  Grill to medium.

Make the spicy mayo by combining the list of ingredients.  Toast the buns. 

How to layer the lamb burger:  Place the bottom bun onto serving plate.  Add the hot lamb burger onto the bun.  Next, place the thinly sliced cucumbers, then the tomatoes (sprinkle the tomatoes with salt if desired).  Spread a generous amount of spicy mayo onto the top bun; place the top bun onto the tomatoes.