Lamb Burgers with Pickled Onions and Herbed Yogurt Sauce

i needed some new inspiration so i looked through one of my cookbooks and stumbled on this recipe.  it looked delicious so i decided to try it out and who doesn't like burgers!

Recipe Adapted from the Anti-Inflammation Cookbook

Preparation Time: 40 mins (plus 2 hours for pickling onions)

Cooking Time: 15 mins

Serves: 6

Pickled Onions

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

  • 6 tbsp (90ml) lime juice

  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

  • 1/2 tsp raw cane sugar

method:

Place onion, lime juice, salt, and sugar in small bowl.  Stir to combine, cover and let sit at room temperature for about 2 hours to soften.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

 

Herbed Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (230g) greek yogurt

  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

  • 1 garlic clove, minced

  • 2 tbsp finely chopped mixed herbs such as dill, parsley, and mint

  • kosher salt

method:

in a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and 1/2 tsp salt.  Adjust the salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, or for up to 2 days.

 

Burgers

ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 1/2 red onion, finely diced

  • 455g ground lamb or beef

  • 230g ground pork

  • 3 tbsp finely chopped mint

  • 3 tbsp finely chopped dill

  • 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

  • 4 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

  • 1 tsp ground coriander

  • 1 tsp kosher salt

  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

method:

1. in a small skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil.  Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes.  Transfer to a small plate to cool.

2. in a large bowl, combine the meat, mint, dill, parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and cooled onions.  gently mis with your hands.  Do not overwork the meat. Divide the mixture into six equal balls.  press into patties and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. (If not cooking immediately, cover and REFRIGERATE for up to 8 hours).

3. heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  working in batches, sear the burgers until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side for MEDIUM-rare, or about 5 minutes for well-done.   or prepare a grill for cooking over medium-high heat.  lightly grease grill grate.  place the burgers on the grill, and cook, turing once, to reach desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for MEDIUM-rare, or about 5 minutes for well-done.

4. transfer burgers to a plate to rest for 5 minutes before serving.  top with a generous dollop of herbed yogurt sauce and some pickled onions.  add greens and sliced tomatoes or cucumbers.  Serve immediately.

yummy! i will definitely be making these again!  it does require some prep time before cooking but if you can get it all done beforehand (pickles, yogurt sauce and beef patties) then cooking is quick and easy.  but you can also make it  right before cooking.  you can't have burgers without some fries, so i baked some potatoes in the oven.  as greek yogurt isn't lactose free so i SUBSTITUTED it for almond yogurt, therefore it was not as thick but worked well as a dressing for the salad.  the pickled onions were good but i would have added a bit more sugar because when you combine it with the yogurt dressing everything was just sour, so a slight sweetness would have balanced the flavors more.  i think these would be a great change for burgers at our summer barbeque!

cooking, lactose free, gluten free, dinnerJackie Wongburger, beef, pork, herbed yogurt, onion, pickled, red onionComment