Lamb Burgers With Feta

Food and lifestyle writer Gaby Dalkin of What’s Gaby Cooking tackles all things barbecue in her latest cookbook, What’s Gaby Cooking: Grilling All the Things. “If you’ve ever had lamb kofta kebabs, then you know how this rich, fatty meat is perfect for grinding up into patties and cooking over fire,” she writes in the introduction to this recipe. “It seemed only right to supersize the situation into a cumin- and coriander-spiced burger and finish it off with a generous helping of garlicky, herby whipped feta for this Middle Eastern/Mediterranean dream of a burger.”

Lamb Burgers With Feta

Gaby Dalkin's recipe for lamb-kofta-inspired burgers with whipped feta and grilled cherry tomatoes.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Barbecue, Middle Eastern

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

Whipped Feta

• 1 block (8 oz/225 g) feta cheese halved
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• zest and juice of ½ lemon
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Burgers

• 1⅓ lbs (590 g) ground lamb
• 2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tsp chopped fresh mint
• 3 cloves garlic grated
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups (200 g) cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup olive oil plus more for brushing the rolls
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 4 ciabatta rolls

Instructions

 

Whipped Feta

• Combine one-half of the feta, the sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic in a food processor and process until smooth. Crumble the remaining feta into the food professor and fold in along with the herbs, salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat (400ºF to 450ºF/205ºC to 230ºC) and lightly oil the grates.

Burgers

• Put the ground lamb in a large bowl and break it up slightly with a fork. Add the fresh oregano, mint, garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, 1½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Using clean hands, mix the meat so the spice mixture is evenly dispersed. Divide the meat mixture into 4 equal portions and form into patties. Place on a plate and set aside.
• Combine the cherry tomatoes and oil in a medium bowl and season with salt, pepper and the dried oregano. Thread the tomatoes onto the skewers (see note). Skewering them helps prevent them from rolling around the grill while cooking (you could also use a grill basket to cook the tomatoes). As you assemble the skewers, set them on a baking sheet and set them aside until you’re ready to grill. Slice the ciabatta rolls in half and lightly brush them with oil. Set aside.
• Put the burger patties on the grill and cook about 4 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature is 145ºF (63ºC). Remove the patties from the grill and let rest while you grill the tomatoes and rolls.
• Add the cherry tomatoes to the grill and cook for about 5 minutes, turning them, until charred in places and starting to burst. Add the ciabatta rolls to the grill and cook about 3 minutes, or until lightly charred and toasted. Remove the buns and tomatoes from the grill.
• To assemble the burgers, add a patty to the bottom half of each roll. Top the patties with whipped feta, a few cherry tomatoes and the top roll. Serve immediately.

Notes

If using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before use.

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