Greek Lamb Burgers

These flavorful burgers are one of my favorite burgers to grill. Deep flavor notes of garlic and cumin are rounded off with the salty, earthy softness of Feta cheese. Served with warmed flatbread and slices of crispy veggies, the dish is brought to another level with a heady flavorful Tzatziki dip on the side.

1 lb ground lamb

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp cumin powder

palmful fresh cilantro (or parsley), minced

1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, minced

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, minced

2-3 oz Feta cheese, coarsely crumbled

Pita or Naan bread

Garnish:

Cucumber slices

1/4 purple onion sliced

Grape tomates, halved

Tzatziki dip

Mix together the lamb, herbs and spices. Then gently mix in the Feta cheese, being careful not to grind down the feta chunks too much. Ideally, they should remain the size of peas.

Form into 4 patties.

Grill or fry patties, turning once or twice, until an instant-read thermometer registers 125F in the center, for rare. The patties will cook though a bit more after removed from the heat, so I always cook to rare.

Heat the pita or naan breads on the grill or in a toaster. Serve patties with warm bread and cucumbers, onion and tomato. And Tzatziki yogurt dip is a must in my opinion!

Serves 4.

Cook's Notes: I also like to serve the patties on a light cole slaw; purple and green cabbage finely shredded and dressed lightly with a French vinaigrette.

I also use this similar prep for other meats, such as pork. Here I used Parmesan cheese and what herbs were good at the time (mint, rosemary, thyme, lavendar).

Pork [higher fat content] flames easily (and I like the char!), but be careful compared to beef or lamb. Whoooo-weeee!!!

I like to serve with flatbread heated on the grill as well.

Bon appetit! (thank you, Julia)

Comments

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