Greek Mint And Lamb Burgers With Cucumber Yogurt Sauce Recipes

GREEK LAMB BURGERS

Steps:

• Heat an outdoor gas grill or an indoor griddle to medium (if working with an indoor griddle or skillet, you can just heat it once you prepare the meat mixture).
• Add the ground lamb (or mix of lamb and beef) to a mixing bowl. Add grated onions, garlic, fresh herbs, oregano, cumin, paprika and cayenne. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and mix until everything is well combined.
• Divide the meat mixture into 8 equal balls. Using both hands, work meat into smooth spheres, then lightly press to form into patties. Arrange the patties on a large tray or dish, and with the tip of your thumb, press lightly to form a shallow, somewhat wide, depression into the center of each patty. (see cook's tip #2 below) Cover and refrigerate, if you have the time.
• Lightly oil the grill grates (or indoor griddle) and arrange the burger patties on top. Grill over medium heat, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, turning once midway through cooking (internal temperature for a medium burger should register 160 degrees F. Adjust cooking time according to your desired doneness.)
• Allow the lamb burgers to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve in pita pockets (or buns), with tztaziki sauce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions. If you like add kalamata olives and a sprinkle of feta.

GREEK LAMB BURGERS

Steps:

• Prepare your grill for cooking over high direct heat.
• In a medium bowl combine all the lamb burger patties ingredients together and mix everything together until everything is well incorporated. Divide the meat in 4 and form into burger patties.
• Place the patties on the grill and cook for about 5 minutes per side. DO NOT press on the patties while cooking. 2 Minutes before the patties are done cooking, add the burger buns to the grill and grill them for about 30 seconds.
• Remove everything from the grill and assemble the burgers. Start with adding some baby arugula to the bottom of the bun, then the burger patty, followed by a couple tbsp of tzatziki sauce, some crumbled feta cheese, tomato slices, cucumber slices and red onion slices. If you prefer you could add more tzatziki sauce to the top bun.
• Serve immediately.

GREEK LAMB WITH YOGURT MINT SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the garlic, rosemary, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the herbs are finely minced. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and red wine and combine. Place the chops in a glass or ceramic dish just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Pour the marinade over the chops, turning to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.
• When ready to cook, prepare a grill with one layer of hot coals or turn a gas grill to medium-high heat. Remove the lamb from the marinade, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove to a platter, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. Serve hot with the cold Yogurt Mint Sauce.
• Place the scallions, mint, dill, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until it's a coarse paste. Add the yogurt, salt, and pepper and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop.

MINI LAMB BURGERS WITH CUCUMBER YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat a double-burner grill pan over medium-high heat.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine ground lamb, garlic, capers, parsley, zest, mustard, salt and pepper. Form mixture into 2 similar sized mounds in the bowl. Divide mixture in half, then half again. Form gently into 8 small patties.
• Oil the grill pan with oiled paper towel held in tongs. Brown the burgers on the hot side of the grill for about 2 minutes on each side.
• Turn heat down to medium and cook another 2 minutes for medium-rare, 3 to 4 minutes for medium.
• Slice 8 mini buns in half and toast on grill or in broiler for about 30 to 60 seconds. Place on serving platter.
• Top the bottom each bun with burger, slice of Roma tomato, and a spoonful of sauce. Cover with the bun top and serve.
• Peel the cucumber and cut it in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds from both halves. Grate the cucumber on the wide holes of a grater, put it in a colander in a large bowl or sink and sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoon of kosher salt. Let drain for about 20 minutes. Press the cucumber with your hands to get rid of some of the moisture and place in a medium mixing bowl. Add The yogurt, dill, mint, cumin and pepper. Stir together and spoon into a serving bowl. Drizzle with olive oil.

LAMB BURGERS WITH GREEK YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• For the burgers: Place the ginger, garlic, lime leaves, shallots and lemongrass in a food processor and pulse until a chunky paste is formed. Place the lamb in large bowl and add the lemongrass paste, curry powder, white pepper, soy sauce, Worcestershire, cilantro, mint and parsley. Mix until combined. Portion into 4-ounce patties.
• For the yogurt sauce: Combine the yogurt with the lime juice, curry powder, white pepper, salt, mint, cilantro, mint and parsley.
• Cook the burgers until light pink in the center. Toast the brioche buns. Place the burgers on the buns and top with the yogurt sauce and pea sprouts.

OPEN-FACE LAMB BURGERS WITH MINT YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Prepare grill for cooking. If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom of grill, then light charcoal. Charcoal fire is medium-hot when you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 3 to 4 seconds. If using a gas grill, preheat burners on high, covered, 10 minutes, then reduce heat to moderately high.
• While grill heats, whisk together yogurt, minced mint, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Mince 1 half of garlic clove and whisk into yogurt sauce.
• Mix lamb, parsley, onion, salt, pepper, and allspice with your hands in a bowl until just combined (do not overwork mixture or patties will be tough). Form into 4 (4 1/2-inch) patties (1/2 inch thick).
• Brush both sides of bread slices with 2 tablespoons oil (total for all slices) and grill, covered only if using a gas grill, turning over once, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes total. Rub 1 side of each toast with cut side of remaining garlic and season with salt.
• Grill patties on lightly oiled grill rack, covered only if using a gas grill, turning over once, until browned but still slightly pink in center, 5 to 7 minutes total.
• Toss together mesclun, whole mint leaves, remaining teaspoon oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Divide lamb among toasts on plates, then spoon sauce over and top with greens.

GREEK LAMB-FETA BURGERS WITH CUCUMBER SAUCE

Steps:

• Set 4 whole garlic cloves in a small skillet over medium-high heat; toast until spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Peel, mince and set aside.
• Break up lamb in a medium bowl. Sprinkle roasted garlic, feta, oregano, salt and pepper over meat; stir with a fork to combine. Divide into 4 portions. Toss meat back and forth between cupped hands to form a ball. Pat with fingertips to flatten to about 4 inches wide. Refrigerate.
• Mix cucumber, sour cream, mint, vinegar, 1 minced clove of garlic, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Refrigerate sauce until ready to serve.
• Build a hot fire on one side of grill. Replace rack. When coals are covered with white ash, add burgers. Cover and cook, turning only once, until done, about 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium to medium-well burgers.
• Grill pitas until spotty brown and warm, a minute or so per side. Split crosswise. Spread a couple of tablespoons of sauce over 4 pita halves. Top each with an onion slice, a tomato slice and a burger. Spread a portion of the remaining sauce over each burger. Top with remaining pita halves.

SPICED LAMB BURGERS WITH MINTY YOGURT

Steps:

• Weigh the lamb mince in a large mixing bowl, then measure the cumin and coriander using measuring spoons and add these to the lamb.
• Chop the parsley (stalks too) as finely as you can and add it to the lamb, then season with salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together, then divide into four portions and shape into burger patties. Chill for at least 1 hour or up to a day.
• Pick the mint leaves from the stalks - you only need the leaves. Finely chop the mint leaves and put them in a small bowl. Mix in the yogurt and a pinch of salt.
• Finely slice the lettuce or just pull apart the leaves. Slice the tomato.
• Rub the burgers all over with the oil. Place a griddle pan or frying pan on the hob over a high heat and, after a minute, carefully place the burgers in the pan and cook for 6-8 mins until nicely browned. Use a fish slice to carefully flip the burgers over and cook for another 6-8 mins. You can check if they're cooked by cutting a burger in half - if there's any pink meat in the middle, it needs to cook for a little longer.
• Split the burger rolls in half. Spread a little minty yogurt over the base of each one. Fill the rolls with some lettuce, a slice or two of tomato and a burger. Serve immediately.