Assembling the Best Homemade Lamb Burger
I season these lamb burgers with some of Greece’s most-loved flavors – like garlic, dried lemon peel, and oregano – before grilling them up and serving them on toasted buns. I like to set out a little buffet of Greek-inspired toppings near the grill for everyone to help themselves. Some of my favorites are fresh tomatoes, lettuce, feta, red onion, and of course, that tzatziki. You can make your tzatziki up to three days in advance. I like to pre-salt and drain my cucumbers for a few hours or as long as overnight. If you’re pressed for time, you can salt the cucumber, let it drain for just 10 minutes, and then use a tea towel to press out as much moisture as you can.
Can I Use Other Meat for These Burgers?
If you’re wary of lamb because you find it too gamy and strong-tasting, I recommend trying lamb from New Zealand. It has a clean, grassy flavor and stays nice and juicy after cooking. And If you’re really unsure about lamb, you try mixing it with some ground beef — up to half of the total weight of the meat in this recipe. Lamb burgers may not be the most popular burger in the US, but this recipe might very well convince you that it should be!
Tzatziki (Cucumber Yogurt Salad) Muhammara (Red Pepper and Walnut Dip) Mediterranean Mezze Platter Greek Pasta Salad Spinach and Orzo Salad
Look for dried lemon peel in the spice section of your grocery store, or order it online. Skip it if you can’t easily find it. You will likely have some leftover tzatziki sauce after making this recipe. It will keep refrigerated for about a week, and it can be used on sandwiches or as a dip with pita chips
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste 2 cups plain Greek yogurt (full fat is best here) 1/3 cup lightly packed chopped fresh herbs (I used equal amounts of mint, parsley, and dill) 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 3 cloves chopped garlic
For the lamb burgers:
1 tablespoon dried onion granules 1 tablespoon dried garlic granules or powder 1/4 teaspoon dried lemon peel, optional 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 1/2 pounds ground lamb (or a combination of beef and lamb) 4 burger buns
To serve:
Sliced tomatoes Lettuce Crumbled feta Red onion Tzatziki sauce
In a large bowl, mix cucumbers, yogurt, herbs, vinegar, and garlic. Stir to combine. Taste and season with salt if needed. This step can be done up to 3 days before serving. Turn the seasoned meat out on a work surface and form into four (6 ounce) patties. Press a shallow dimple in the center of each patty to help the patties cook evenly and prevent them from forming domes in the middle.
