Grilled Lamb Burgers

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It’s that time of year again. Time to celebrate and honor fathers by putting them to work in the backyard. The big box stores are making a killing this weekend, with all their promotions on grills, tools and lawn equipment that ensure Dad’s hands will be sufficiently busy for the foreseeable future. How about that? Mom gets taken to brunch and pampered at the spa for her special day, and Dad gets to slave over a hot grill, preparing a meal for his family. Works for me (and we all know, the men love it this way)!

My husband, Les, does love his time at the grill, and Father’s Day weekend is just the beginning of many great meals to come this summer. Les had a major hand in making these delectable lamb burgers. He prepped the patties and he scouted out ideas for topping the burgers with salty feta and a few simple, refreshing cucumber and red onion slices— a perfect contrast to the richness of the lamb meat. And, of course, he cooked them. Over a flame! My role in this tasty meal kicked in closer to serving time (you’ll see), and we served the burgers with a side of collard greens with tomatoes.

This meal is even better when eaten outside!

Les and I approach burgers a bit differently; whereas I like to season only the outside of the burger with salt and pepper just before cooking (and with minimal working of the meat), Les prefers to add seasoning right into the meat before shaping the patties. Either method yields delicious results, and for these tasty handhelds, Les relied on the same ingredients that flavor our homemade gyro meat.

These spices make an excellent blend for all things lamb.

This blend of warm spices and earthy oregano is excellent in gyros, as well as on roasted leg of lamb or grilled lamb chops, so we knew it would be delicious for lamb burgers. The first order of business was crushing the whole coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle, and then we mixed the rest of the spices. The blend included kosher salt, so Les waited until closer to grilling time to add it to the meat. The alternative— seasoning and then resting the meat for a period of time, either in or out of the fridge— would result in a bouncy texture similar to sausage. 

If you have a mortar and pestle, grind the coriander yourself. The flavor is so vibrant!

Now, we don’t have any photos of Les prepping the burger patties themselves because, well, he isn’t a food blogger and he tends to get so focused in his work that he forgets to document it for posterity. That, and he also had both hands stuck in raw meat while I was on a last-minute grocery run, so there was no one around to snap a shot. This food blogger will trust that you can easily imagine what it looks like to mix a dry seasoning blend into a pound of ground lamb. Take care that you don’t do it too early ahead of cooking. As for the grilling—yes! We have photos, and I’m happy to share that Les has been enjoying the Made In griddle and burger press that I got him last year for his birthday. They’re not paying me to tell you about it, but I included a link in case you want to learn more. So far, Les loves it and says this will be the summer to make breakfast outdoors!

What dude doesn’t enjoy making a smash burger?

As for my role in this batch of burgers, I made myself responsible for the toppings, including a zesty chimichurri-style sauce that included fresh parsley, dill, mint and garlic. Mmmm.

A little freshness is exactly what these lamb burgers need.

We’ve been trying hard to lean healthier with our meals, and the usual slathering of ingredients like bacon, bbq sauce and mayonnaise have taken a backseat to fresher, lighter treatments. This herby topping comes together in record time in the small bowl of my food processor. Red wine vinegar and a few shakes of a Turkish red pepper blend give it a zippy flavor, and olive oil helps keep it together while adding healthy Omega-3 fats to the mix.

Once you make chimichurri, you’ll find yourself looking for reasons to make it again!

We’ve discovered a few other tricks to help us stay on track with our healthier eating goals. One of them is to reduce (but not eliminate) the empty carbs that come with bread. There’s nothing wrong with bread, in moderation, and I’ll never ever give it up. But in general, we’ve been eating less of it, and for these burgers, I picked up some miniature whole wheat pitas to stand in for the usual burger buns. They are thin, yet substantial enough, to hold these hearty burgers with all their delicious toppings. The pita also lent another layer to the Mediterranean vibe we already had with the spices and herb sauce. Can’t ya just taste it?

Happy Father’s Day!

Now, please excuse me while I ponder what I’d like Les to get busy grilling on Father’s Day. Hey, maybe breakfast! 😉

Grilled Lamb Burgers with Chimichurri

  • Servings: 3 or 4
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Bold flavors and fresh toppings made these grilled lamb burgers unforgettably delicious!


Ingredients

  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. ground coriander (best to crush whole seeds, if possible)
  • 1/4 tsp. dried Mediterranean oregano leaves
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound ground lamb, local if possible
  • Chimichurri for serving (recipe below)
  • Whole wheat mini pita breads, split, buttered and toasted inside for serving
  • Thinly sliced red onion and cucumber, for serving
  • Romaine or leaf lettuce, for serving
  • 3 Tbsp. crumbled feta, for serving

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, combine all dry spices and set aside.
  2. Shortly before grilling, mix spice blend evenly into ground lamb. Shape into 3 or 4 patties, as desired.
  3. Heat grill, griddle or cast iron skillet to just above medium heat. Cook burgers about two and a half minutes per side, to desired doneness. Remove from grill or griddle and rest one minute before serving.

Note: The chimichurri-style sauce brings a bright, fresh note to the earthy flavor of the lamb. Use whatever soft-leaf herbs you like, and be generous with the garlic!

Ingredients

  • 2 or 3 scallions (green and white parts), rough-chopped
  • 2 or 3 fresh garlic cloves, rough-chopped
  • Large handful of fresh herbs (to complement the lamb, I chose flat parsley, mint and dill)
  • A few shakes crushed red pepper (I used Flatiron Uç Biber, a Turkish blend of Aleppo, Maras and Urfa peppers)
  • About 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • Several twists freshly ground black pepper
  • About a Tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 2 to 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (choose a peppery one with lots of polyphenols)

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients except olive oil in the small bowl of a food process. Pulse a few times to break down the large pieces of onion and garlic. Scrape down the bowl.
  2. Add a quick drizzle of the olive oil to the mixture and pulse a few more times, until mixture seems evenly blended. Turn processor on continuous blend and drizzle remaining oil through the chute as it blends. This should happen fairly quickly. Adjust seasonings to taste.
  3. Store any leftover chimichurri in a covered dish in the fridge. It adds a lovely zhuzh to fried eggs or vegetables, or mix it with mayonnaise for a fantastic sandwich spread.

It’s pronounced “YEAR-Oh.”

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That was the matter-of-fact statement printed on some of the commemorative T-shirts for our local Greek festival a few years back. It was supposed to end the controversy of the traditional handheld pita sandwich, which some people (including my NYC-born husband) call “JYE-row.”

Let the dispute rage—however you say it, these things are absolutely delicious and I’ve only recently learned to make them at home. This time of year, my community would normally be gearing up for the annual Greek festival, a three-day event filled with traditional food and music and dance and laughter and oh-so-heavenly Greek pastries—but alas, we are not doing anything “normal” this year, are we? The festival, I’m told by an insider, will be pushed back to at least September, if they are able to do it at all with whatever social distancing guidelines might be in place months from now.

To help temper our collective craving for Greek deliciousness, I’ve decided to share a few of my own recipes, including my take on a “YEAR-Oh” recipe I received quite by accident. My aunt had texted me in search of a good but easy flatbread recipe, and after I figured out she wasn’t referring to the pizza crust-type of flatbread, but the handheld pita-type, I asked what she planned to do with them. “Gyros,” she texted.

Hold the phone—what? She makes her own gyros? This is one of my favorite Mediterranean food items, a primary reason for my love of the Greek festival, and yet it had not occurred to me to try to make them at home. Thankfully, our chance conversation about flatbread has changed all that.

This recipe for gyro meat is remarkably simple to make, and would be delicious with just onions, garlic, rosemary and oregano, as it was given to me, but my husband and I really like a good bit of spice, so I substituted a blend of other Mediterranean spices that had worked very well on some lamb chops a few months ago, and guess what? Winner, winner—gyro dinner. For good measure, I’m also sharing my easy, four-ingredient recipe for tzatziki sauce and the homemade soft pita breads that are in my regular rotation.

You can use ground beef or ground lamb in this recipe, or some combination of both, as I did. One of the keys of the recipe is processing the ground meat into an ultra-smooth texture before cooking it. Skipping this step will leave you with something more like meatloaf or burgers, so don’t be tempted to pass on it. If you have time to chill the cooked gyro meat overnight, you’ll be able to slice it ultra-thin for a really authentic result. Authentic enough, anyway, to hold us over until September.

Opa!

Ingredients

1.5 pounds ground beef or lamb or both (at least 85% lean)

1 cup very finely chopped onion

4 cloves garlic, very finely minced

Spice blend

These spices were an excellent combination of flavor for my gyros.

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/4 tsp. dried Mediterranean oregano leaves

1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For serving

Soft pita breads*, tzatziki sauce, fresh tomatoes, chopped red onion

*These are delicious on my homemade soft pita breads, or you may use something simple and ready-made, like the garlic naan breads available at Trader Joe’s.

Hubby suggested pepperoncini on the finished sandwich. Excellent call!

Instructions

Combine meat, onions, garlic and spices in a large bowl. Refrigerate mixture at least 2 hours. Working in batches, process meat mixture until it’s smooth and homogenized. If you’re cooking and serving right away, shape mixture into a compact oval-shaped mound in a cast iron skillet, and bake at 325° F for about 1 hour, until meat is fully cooked and very firm, even slightly dry. If you’re serving right away, cut the meat into thin slices and enjoy on warm pita breads with your favorite toppings. Keep scrolling for work-ahead tips.

  • I used 1 pound lamb plus 1/2 pound beef, but you could use all ground beef if you prefer.
  • Ready for mixing with onions, garlic and spice blend.
  • The mixture on the right was processed to a finer texture. This step makes a big difference in the outcome of the cooked gyro meat.
  • Even warm, the meat sliced up fairly thin. Wow, is it delicious!
  • Cold slices were about 1/4 inch thin. I think I’m gonna ask Santa for a deli slicer this year… 🙂

If you have time to work ahead, mound the processed meat onto a large piece of plastic wrap, and roll it up as tightly as you can, twisting the ends (similar to a sausage chub) so that the meat mixture is as compact as possible. Chill for a few hours, up to overnight, then proceed with the recipe.

The meat holds its shape very well after chilling in the tightly wrapped plastic.

After baking, cool and chill meat overnight again for ultra-thin slices. To reheat chilled gyro slices, grill on an oiled skillet until edges are lightly crispy.

Tzatziki Sauce – a must with your homemade gyros!

Just four ingredients (plus salt) make an awesome and authentic tzatziki sauce. In a pinch, you could substitute sour cream for the yogurt.

1 Persian cucumber*, peeled, seeded and finely chopped or grated

A couple pinches of kosher salt

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (or substitute sour cream in a pinch)

2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped

1 tsp. fresh dill leaves, finely chopped

*English or slicing cucumbers work in this recipe, too. I like the smaller size of the Persian cukes because one is just right for many of my recipes, and I don’t have to wrap up leftovers. You want about 1/3 cup of cucumber. Whichever type you use, be sure to remove the seeds and excess moisture.

Line a small custard cup with a paper towel. Add the chopped or grated cucumber and stir with a sprinkling of kosher salt. Wrap the paper towel over the cucumbers and allow this to sit in the fridge for 30 minutes to draw out and absorb excess moisture.

Combine cucumbers with yogurt, garlic and dill. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve with gyros.

Somebody please give me a spoon!

Want to print these recipes?

Gyros and Tzatziki SauceDownload
Low carb version. He had to have just one more bite, Even Nilla wants some!