The joy of grilling continues and, with luck and a smile from Mother Nature, will do so until next winter. So now it’s time to move our love of Australian and New Zealand lamb from the long, slow cooking of braised shanks to the quick grilling of kabobs, chops, butterflied leg, and lamb burgers.
Last night’s inspiration was for the lamb burgers – like having a little gyro in a bun, usually generously flavored with minced onions, garlic, Middle Eastern herbs and spices, and served on a lightly toasted brioche bun. But last night we tried something new and even better, from this recipe posted just last week by Saveur.
The original recipe called for 4 ounces ground pork added to the ground lamb. I left that out, and I did not include that here. Other than that, I followed the recipe pretty closely with 12 ounces of ground lamb, and could not have been more delighted with the result. The browning of the onions before adding them to the meat mixture is a step I had not previously considered, and found that it held the burgers together and kept them juicy. Sometimes, over-handling the mixture while forming the patties can render a too-compacted and unpleasant texture:
LAMB BURGERS, ADAPTED FROM SAVEUR
MAKES 2 BURGERS
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp. minced yellow onion
12 oz. ground lamb
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. each finely chopped parsley and mint
1/2 tsp dill weed
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. ground cumin
1 very plump clove garlic, finely chopped
1 scallion, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
10 leaves baby arugula
8 black olives in oil, drained, pitted, and roughly chopped (Kalamata would be the perfect choice)
8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and roughly chopped (I used TJ’s slivered sun-dried tomatoes)
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 buns, toasted (we had ours last night on lightly toasted onion rolls)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in an 8″ skillet over high heat. Add onions; cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer onions to a plate; let cool. In a bowl, mix onions, lamb, pork, mustard, herbs, spices, garlic, scallions, and salt and pepper. Form meat into two patties; set aside.
2. Prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire or heat a gas grill to medium-high (or heat a tablespoon of canola oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat). Grill burgers, flipping once, until browned and cooked to desired doneness, about 8 minutes for medium rare. In a small bowl, combine feta, arugula, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes; toss with the remaining oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Place each burger on the bottom half of a bun and top each with the vegetables and bun top.
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