Sophia's Stupendous Lamb Burgers with Feta Sauce

Forget beef burgers this summer and go for lamb! Our dear friend Sophia made incredible lamb burgers last weekend, and two days later I recreated them at home, as I couldn’t get the delicious flavors out of my head. Sophia is one of those naturally talented cooks who doesn’t tend to follow a specific recipe with measured-out amounts but just throws in a little bit of this and a little bit of that and, voilà, turns out scrumptious fare every time. So while I pinned her down for the burger ingredients, I had to do a little bit of guessing on the amounts. And I had a feta-sauce recipe that I’ve made before, so I went with that. Add Sophia’s Stupendous Grilled Lamb Burgers to your next BBQ menu, and I promise you, they will not disappoint!
Note: In addition to topping the burgers with a delectable Feta Sauce, Sophia made a delicious Red-Pepper Sauce. I ran out of time, so I just threw mini peppers (coated with olive oil) on the grill and put those atop the burgers. I also added sliced red onion and served them on brioche buns (as Sophia had), which I highly recommend. You could also make smaller burgers and serve them wrapped in pita.

Makes 4 Burgers

Ingredients for Lamb Burgers

• ¾ tsp. coriander seeds

• ¾ tsp. cumin seeds

• 1 lb. ground lamb

• Grated ginger (about 1” knob)

• Grated garlic (1 large clove)

• 1 egg

• ¾ tsp. paprika

• ¼ tsp. cinnamon

• ¼ tsp. allspice

• ½ tsp. za’atar

• Salt & pepper to taste

• Brioche buns

• Sliced red onion

  Preparation

1. Add coriander and cumin seeds to a hot dry frying pan and toast for 2 minutes until fragrant. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and crush the seeds.

2. Place all ingredients in a bowl, mix together and form into patties. Refrigerate until ready to grill.

3. Heat grill on medium-high heat. Grill lamb burgers about 4 minutes per side. You want them to be pink inside.

4. Serve burgers on toasted brioche buns, top with Feta Sauce, red onion and grilled peppers, if you’d like.

Ingredients for Feta Sauce

• 1 garlic clove

• Salt

• ¼ cup feta

• ½ cup yogurt

• 4 tsps. chopped mint

• 1 tbsp. chopped dill

• 4 tsps. lemon juice

• 1 tbsp. water 

Preparation

1. Smash garlic clove in mortar and pestle with 1/8 tsp. salt.

2. Transfer garlic paste to bowl with feta, yogurt, mint, dill, lemon juice and mix. If too thick, add water. Add more salt, if needed.

3. Serve atop lamb burger.