I had this mental image of a poor lamb and I just could not do it. It seemed so sad... I'm kind of a sap like that. All I hear in my head is "Mary had a litle lamb, little lamb, little lamb"...
With the decreasing supply of really good, natural, clean meat available I have been forced out of my comfort zones with eating. We eat a lot more vegetable based meals and a lot less mainstream red meat.
I was perusing my local sprouts store when I saw this great display for 100% grass fed lamb, and it was just a few cents more per pound than the ground beef. I figured I may as well give it a try.
Change is good. Right?! Please tell me it is...
These were actually really good burgers, a nice change. I had to make myself think they were regualr old hamburgers though... Not becuase they didn't taste amazing, but because all i could hear was "Mary had a little lamb" playing in my head...
The flavor was not too different than a traditional burger and it was super moist and tasty.
The real success of this meal, my 1 year old ate almost 2 of these babies, and my 5 year old scarfed 1 and asked for more. Now that is a success in my mommy book :)
Herbed Lamb Burgers
(Makes about 4 regular sized patties or 6 sliders)
1 pound ground lamb (if they have organic or grass fed - go for that)
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon water
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, or 1/2 of a small white onion, grated
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried cumin
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried coriander
2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
In a bowl, combine lamb with the beaten egg, water, mustard, vinegar, garlic, shallot or onion. Use your hands to gently incorporate the ingredients. Add in the spices and herbs and gently fold together once more.
Form patties and refrigerate at least 45 minutes. You can skip this step but you may notice that your burgers start to fall apart once cooked. The chilling time helps them bind together. If you find you do not have time to refrigerate, you can add in about 1/4-1/2 cup breadcrumbs to help with binding, but chilling is best.
Heat a cast iron skillet (or other heavy bottomed pan) over medium high heat, add in a drizzle of olive oil, until pan is pretty hot, but oil is not smoking.
Add burgers, in batches if necessary to prevent crowding, press your thumb into the top to create an indentation, and cook about 4 minutes. Carefully flip burgers, cover pan, cook an additional 2-5 minutes depending on your desired level of doneness. 6 minutes will normally produce a lamb burger cooked medium.
Remove, build burgers, don't forget to use a homemade bun Recipe on this blog HERE, and some amazing feta/yogurt dip. (Recipe Follows)
Feta/Yogurt Dip
1 6 ounce container plain greek yogurt
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon shallot, minced
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
In a bowl, mix all ingredients, cover and let chill 30 minutes to let flavors incorporate.
Happy Eating....
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