Lamb Burgers with Feta Sauce – Recipe!

I was in my garden yesterday and here in Southern California, it feels like spring.  I know you must be thinking that living in Los Angeles always feels warm, but springtime has something delicate and fresh about it.  I love the flavors of spring too, especially good lamb and fresh greens.

After a little weeding, I trimmed some lovely lettuces from my yard, and decided to come inside and make Lamb Burgers for dinner.  Ground lamb is easy to find in most grocery stores, but if you have a local butcher, or you can buy it from a good farmer at a farmer’s market, I would recommend it.   Many folks think that lamb has a heavy gamey taste, but when it is super fresh, the meat is delightfully earthly and well balanced.

I prepared these burgers in a stove top skillet, but you prefer to cook them on an indoor or outdoor grill, that works nicely too.  The feta sauce is easy to whip together, while the burgers are cooking and I think you will love the salty contrast with the juicy lamb.  This recipe makes a simply delicious weeknight dinner, or you can prepare them on the weekend for a larger gathering.

Ingredients

1 pound ground lamb

1/4 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup whole plain yogurt

1/3 cup fresh feta, crumbled

1/2 lime

fresh buns, optional

lettuce

pickled radish or other pickled veggies, optional

vegetable oil

(Makes 4 Burgers)

To Prepare:

1.  In a large bowl, add fresh ground lamb.  Add mint to meat with onion powder, coriander, paprika, salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.  Using your hands, gently combine spices with meat and form into 4 patties.  Place patties on an oiled plate.

2  In a large iron skillet or stove top grill, add a tablespoon of oil and place it over medium-high heat. After 2 minutes or until skillet is lightly smoking, add lamb burgers.  Cook burgers for 4 minutes and then flip over and cook other side for 3 minutes.

3.  While burgers are cooking, add yogurt to a small bowl, followed by crumbled feta, 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper and juice of 1/2 lime.  Stir to combine sauce and set aside.

4.  Serve each burger on fresh greens or on a bun with a dollop of feta sauce and some pickled radishes. Enjoy!