Sunday, May 29, 2011

Greek Lamburgers for the Memorial Day Holiday

First off, don't forget to sign up for the May Giveaway here. Memorial Day is approaching.... Let's just say right upon us. We did the Amherst Common Farmers Market on Saturday and had a great time sharing our lamb and recipes with many, many customers old and new. The market was jammed. At the same time, the Massachusetts Sheep and Wool Festival was going on (still is) up in Cummington. I'm hoping they are having a great time.

In the U.S., it seems most families turn to the grill on May 31st (or the appointed Monday Memorial Day Holiday) for burgers, dogs, and steaks. Shake up your guests' choices (or just your very own tastebuds) with Greek Spiced Lamburgers. Yummy! Really yummy. I was cooking these things at 9 a.m. and couldn't wait til noon so I could eat one!


Greek Flavored Burgers

1 pound ground lamb
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup mint
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
fresh ground pepper

Place the parsley, mint, and garlic in a food processor and chop until fine. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Form into 4 patties. 

 

Grill. 


Serve with red onions, feta cheese, and black olive tapenade topped with the yogurt sauce below on pita bread or a bun as shown.

Yogurt Sauce:

1 cup (8 oz) yogurt - preferably Greek
1 small cucumber - peeled, seeded and finely diced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dried dill or fresh if available
1 minced garlic clove (for garlic lovers)
Note: Raw garlic adds a real bite (good or bad? depending on your taste)

Peel cuke and cut lengthwise in half. Scoop out seeds. Salt and let sit for 1/2 hour. Rinse salt off. Chop into small pieces about 1/4" in pieces. Combine all ingredients in bowl and let sit. Serve with burger as a sauce.

Oh boy is this yogurt sauce delicious! Understatement. I've doused it on chicken and lamb and used it as salad dressing on greens. Astoundingly good. I leave out the garlic even though I am one of the biggest garlic fans on this planet. I like the freshness of the cukes, lemons, and dill just plain.

My burger buns came from 7 South Bakery (our good friends - the bakers Kay and Michael). Find a similar recipe you can make and bake here on the Epicurious website if you have the energy. Me, I'll just use theirs. 

4 comments:

Molly said...

I made your lamb koftas recipe tonight - a big hit even with the semi-vegetarian teenager. Now I have to get some pita chips to eat up the leftover tzatziki sauce. Both were delicious!

bittenbyknittin said...

Delurking to let you know that, while I have yet to try any of your lamb recipes, I have been stockpiling links to them. I roasted a leg of lamb this spring and rediscovered how much I like lamb. Some of it is in the freezer, destined to become shepherd's pie. So keep the recipes coming!

MicheleinMaine said...

Kristin, I made your koftas last night and they were soooo delicious! I had planned to make them on the stove, but then got to the part where you mention grilling, and thought, why not? It's Memorial Day after all, let's get out our tiny Smokey Joe grill and hope we have charcoal. Let me just say that my daughter and I inhaled them, they were so incredible. thank you for sharing the recipe! the sauce was wonderful too!

constantly knitting said...

Oh my gosh, so tasty they should come with a warning label! We're loving these recipes, thank you kindly for sharing.

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