lamb burgers topped with fresh tzatziki and feta cheese with a gluten free option

My fascination for burgers continues here with freshly minced lamb burgers grilled, topped with tzatziki sauce and crumbled feta cheese. As I have mentioned in previous burger recipes there’s nothing quite like mincing your own meat. This way you know exactly what’s going into the patty, you can make them as big as you like and best of all they are as fresh as it gets! The second best option is to ask your local butcher to mince the cut of meat you are after. In this case it’s lamb shoulder. Try to avoid store bought mince as you never really know what part of the animal the meat has come from.

Burger patties are best kept simple. The meat is the key ingredient, everything else is complimentary. There’s no need to clog up the patty with bread crumbs, egg or anything else. Simply season the patty with a generous amount of salt and pepper or your favourite meat seasoning. Similarly, I’ve kept the tzatziki sauce simple. Greek yogurt, cucumber, fresh dill and parsley. Burger condiments and toppings are personal choice and you can use whatever you wish. For me though, much like the patty, I like them to compliment the meat not overpower it.

With Mrs Messy Benches on a gluten free diet we replace the bread bun with two large mushrooms. Simply brush them some melted butter and grill for approximately 3 minutes each side. Season with salt pepper after grilling.

ingredients

• 1kg lamb shoulder mince with approximately 20% fat (makes 7 x 2cm thick patties)
• salt and pepper, or you’re favourite seasoning
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• Iceberg lettuce
• 200g Greek yogurt
• 6cm piece of cucumber, de-seeded and grated
• 1 tbsp finely chopped mint
• 1 tbsp finely chopped dill
• 50g crumbled feta cheese
• bread rolls (we prefer brioche) or large field mushrooms brushed with melted butter

directions

1. Cut the cucumber in half lengthways and remove the seeds by scraping or cutting them out.
2. Grate the cucumber and place in a fine sieve over a bowl, add some salt and let it drain for a few hours. Give it a stir every hour or so. If you don’t have the time use some paper towel and soak up as much as the liquid as you can.
3. If you have a mincer at home use the most coarse attachment when grinding up the lamb. Alternatively, ask your butcher to mince it for you.
4. Make the patties, handling the mince as little as possible. If you have the time, follow the patty making technique from my Extreme Beef Burger recipe. Otherwise make them using gentle hands trying not to make the patty too dense.
5. Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper or with you’re choice of rub or seasoning.
6. Fire up your grill to a medium-high heat.
7. Meanwhile, slice up your condiments and herbs and make the tzatziki by combining the yogurt, cucumber and herbs.
8. Grill the patties as well as you like flipping frequently (every 30 seconds). Toast the buns or grill the mushrooms and then it’s time to build your lamb burgers!

For other burger ideas click here.