Lamb Burgersrachel Ray Recipes

A BURGER FOR RACHAEL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 500 degrees F.
• Cut 10 wedges from each potato and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle a couple tablespoons of oil over the potatoes to coat them lightly then season with rosemary, salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Throw a couple of cloves of cracked garlic on the sheet with potatoes. Roast 25 minutes, turning once.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place ground meats in a bowl and add a 2 to 3 cloves of grated garlic, grill seasoning fennel seed, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce. Mix the burgers and form 4 patties. Make patties thinner in the center - burgers bulge as they cook. Cook burgers 5 to 6 minutes on each side.
• While burgers cook, sliced cheese and tomatoes, onions and basil and reserve.
• In a food processor, combine capers, parsley, anchovy paste, lemon zest and olives. Turn processor on and drizzle in 3 to 4 tablespoons oil until a thick paste forms.
• Melt cheese on burgers.
• Toast buns.
• Place burgers on buns and top with tomato, basil, red onions and slather the bun tops with some olive tapenade and serve with oven fries.

SHAWARMA BURGERS WITH TAHINI-YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Gather your ingredients.
• For the sauce: Peel a clove of garlic with a crack of knife against the heel of your hand. In a small bowl, whisk up yogurt, tahini, the juice of 1 lemon and cumin. Then grate the garlic into the sauce with a zester or paste it with a knife (add a fat pinch of salt). Whisk sauce again.
• For the burgers: Preheat a cast-iron skillet or heavy griddle or frying pan over medium to medium-high heat.
• Place ground lamb or chicken in a mixing bowl. Season the meat with salt and pepper, cumin, coriander, paprika, sumac if using, turmeric, cardamom, crushed red pepper, allspice and nutmeg. Crack 2 cloves garlic and grate them into the bowl or finely chop. Peel the onion and grate about 3 tablespoons of it into the bowl. Finley chop the mint and parsley then add them to the lamb. Combine all the ingredients and mound up. Score meat into 4 equal portions and form 4 patties, thinner at the center for even cooking.
• To prepare the burgers, add EVOO, 1 slow turn of the pan, to skillet (a thin layer to just glaze the surface). Add patties and cook about 7 minutes for lamb, a minute or two longer for chicken, turning occasionally. If cooking lamb, press down with spatula when you turn the patties -- lean ground lamb tends to tighten as it cooks more so than other ground meats.
• When you remove the patties they can be served as such but for a more authentic facsimile of shawarma, we rest the patties and very thinly slice them on a bias. Regardless, while the burgers cook, prepare your toppings of choice.
• Assemble burgers: bun bottoms, sauce, patty or thinly sliced shawarma, lettuce, hot cherry peppers, cucumbers, herb leaves, dressed fennel and onions, bun top. OR split a pita and fill with giardiniera and Israeli pickles.
• Poke with a couple of toothpicks and split burgers down the middle. Serve burgers with chips.

INDIAN LAMB BURGERS WITH GREEN RAITA SAUCE AND RED ONIONS

Steps:

• Put all of the ingredients for the sauce in food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a small serving dish and reserve.
• Put the red onion rings in a small bowl and separate the rings. Add the lime juice and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Add the lamb to a mixing bowl along with the garlic, chile, ginger, spices, cinnamon, and salt and pepper, to taste. Mix to combine. Form the meat mixture into 4 sections and make 2 slider-size patties form each portion, 8 (3-ounce) burgers in total, thinner at the center and thicker at the edges.
• Heat a large skillet or a griddle pan with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the burgers and cook a few minutes on each side.
• Put a few leaves of spinach on each of the bun bottoms and add the burger. Top with the onions and green sauce. Cover with the bun tops and serve.
• * Toast and grind your own coriander and cumin if you have a coffee grinder or spice mill.

LAMB BURGERS WITH FETA SAUCE AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• Add 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, half a turn of the pan, and the onions. Cook for 5 minutes to soften, then put them in mixing bowl to cool.
• While onions cool, put the milk, feta, half of the marjoram or oregano, mint, salt and pepper, to taste, and the nuts in a food processor and process to a thick, smooth sauce.
• Add lamb to the bowl with the onions and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the remaining marjoram or oregano, paprika and cinnamon. Form the mixture into 4 patties, thinner at the center and thicker at the edges. Heat 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook the patties 3 to 4 minutes on each side for pink centers.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in another skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic clove and let it infuse the oil for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the spinach and let it wilt, then remove the pan from the heat, and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, to taste.
• Add the lamb patties to the bun bottoms or charred bread. Shake off excess liquid as you remove the spinach and pile it on top of the burgers. Slather the bun tops with the feta sauce. Cover the burgers with the bun tops and serve.