Harissa Spiced Lamb Burgers Recipes

MOROCCAN SPICED LAMB WITH HARISSA

Steps:

• Preheat a grill or grill pan. Alternatively, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Slice the bread into 1/4-inch thick slices. Brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and lightly grill on 1 side. Cool and store in a sealed container until ready to use.
• Combine the harissa, sour cream, half of the lemon zest, and half of the lemon juice in a small bowl.
• If more lemon is necessary, add the rest of the zest and or juice. Put into a squeeze bottle for easy assembly.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat lamb racks generously with the spice mix, salt, and pepper. Be cautious with the pepper since there is pepper in the spice mix. There should be an even coat of spices around the lamb. Heat a couple tablespoons olive oil in a very large skillet over high heat. When oil is hot, add lamb racks and sear over high heat to form a crust on both sides. Remove from the pan, transfer to a baking dish and finish in the oven for 8 minutes or until medium rare. Remove from the oven and allow to rest at room temperature for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
• Assembly: Slice the lamb into 1/4-inch thick slices as close to the bone as possible. Place a piece of lamb on top of a baguette slice. Add a drop of the harissa (remember it is spicy), and then finish with a thin julienne of dried apricot and a sprig of chervil. For additional seasoning, add a sprinkle of salt and a drop of extra-virgin olive oil.
• In a shallow saute pan, toast all of the spices over a medium heat. Allow to cool and then grind in a coffee grinder to a fine powder.

HARISSA SPICED LAMB BURGERS

Steps:

• 1 Heat a little olive oil in a small pan, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened and golden then remove from the heat. 2 In a large bowl, mix together the lamb mince, harissa, mint and cooked onion. Form into 4 burgers and chill for 15 minutes. 3 Heat the remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan or griddle pan over a medium heat. Cook the burgers for 5-6 minutes on each side until nicely browned and cooked through (alternatively, cook on a barbecue). 4 Meanwhile, lightly toast the cut side of the rolls on the frying pan or griddle. To serve, place a handful of rocket on the bottom half of each roll, top with a burger, a large dollop of tzatziki and the remaining half roll. Serve hot.

HARISSA BURGERS

Steps:

• Place meat in large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with harissa, fennel, garlic, coriander, cumin and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper. Mix quickly by hand. Divide into 4 portions. Form each into large patty, making thinner at centres and thicker at edges. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Barbecue directly over medium-high heat on lightly oiled grill, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Alternately, cook in large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Place burgers in buns.

GRILLED SPICY LAMB BURGERS

Steps:

• Preheat grill for medium heat.
• Place the lamb in a large bowl, and mix with the mint, cilantro, oregano, garlic, sherry, vinegar, and molasses. Season with cumin, allspice, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper, and mix well. Shape into 4 patties.
• Brush grill grate with oil. Grill burgers 5 minutes on each side, or until well done. Heat the pita pocket briefly on the grill. Serve burgers wrapped in pitas with feta cheese.

LAMB PATTIES MOROCCAN STYLE WITH HARISSA SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the lamb in a mixing bowl and add all of the ingredients except the vegetable oil and harissa sauce. Blend the mixture thoroughly by hand.
• Shape the mixture into 8 equal-size patties similar to hamburgers.
• Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet large enough to hold all of the patties. Two pans may be necessary.
• Add the patties to the skillet. Cook them over medium-high heat about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, depending on the degree of doneness desired. Drain on paper towels and serve with the harissa sauce on the side.

SLOW-COOKED HARISSA LAMB

Steps:

• If you're making the harissa, tip the dried chillies into a heatproof bowl and pour over just enough boiled water from the kettle to cover. Cover the bowl and leave to cool. Once cool enough to handle, drain the chillies, reserving the water. Remove any stalks and pat dry with kitchen paper. Tip the chillies into a food processor with the garlic, 1 tsp salt, the olive oil, spices and vinegar, and blitz to a purée. If needed, add a little of the reserved water to loosen. Will keep, chilled, for up to a month.
• Make 15 cuts, about 3-5cm long, all over the lamb. Reserve 1 tbsp of the harissa paste, then rub the rest all over the lamb and into the cuts. Scatter the onions into a large roasting tin and sit the lamb on top. Leave at room temperature for 1 hr, or cover and chill overnight.
• Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 2. Roast the lamb for 4-5 hrs until the meat is fork-tender. Lift the lamb out onto a large board or serving plate. If the tin is flameproof, pour in the stock; if not, tip the contents of the tin into a saucepan first. Bring to the boil, scrape up any browned bits using a wooden spoon, and cook until the liquid is reduced by about a third - it should be a thick, rich onion gravy. Stir in the reserved harissa and the chopped coriander. Serve the lamb with the onion gravy.

HARISSA-SPICED LAMB CHOPS

Steps:

• Pat chops dry and coat on all sides with harissa. Transfer to a glass or ceramic dish and marinate, covered and chilled, 2 hours.
• Sprinkle chops with salt. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chops on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes total.
• Add butter and thyme and continue to cook, turning chops frequently with tongs and basting occasionally, until thermometer inserted between ribs to center of a chop (do not touch bone) registers 120 to 125°F for medium-rare, 15 to 18 minutes more. Transfer chops to a cutting board and let stand, uncovered, 10 minutes.
• Serve with ground cumin for sprinkling.

MOROCCAN-SPICED LAMB BURGERS

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the lamb, onion, bread crumbs, mint, garlic, cumin, coriander, 3/4 tsp salt, and the cayenne. Using your hands, mix gently but thoroughly. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and form each into an oval patty about 4 1/2 inches long and about 3/4 inch thick.
• In a small bowl, stir together the tomato and cilantro and season with salt. Let the patties and the tomato mixture stand at room temperature for 15 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours. If refrigerated, remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before grilling.
• Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over high heat.
• Grill the burgers over the hottest part of a charcoal fire or directly over the heat elements of a gas grill, turning once, until nicely charred and cooked to your liking, 5-6 minutes per side for medium. About 1 minute before the burgers are done, place the pita breads along the edges of a charcoal grill where the heat is less intense, or on an area of a gas grill with lower heat, so they can warm.
• To assemble the sandwiches, coat the pockets of the pita breads lightly with some of the yogurt, then slip a lamb burger into each bread. Add the tomato mixture, sprouts, and the remaining yogurt, or serve these condiments on the side.