Order Up: Lamb Burgers . . . Hold the Ketchup!

I love lamb burgers, they go way beyond the regular grilled hamburger, offering a unique flavor that can be easily complimented with a variety of spices and the right condiments.  My favorite combination of spices are inspired by a recipe in my River Cottage Meat Book by  Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. This book is my meat bible; well one of them, definitely my favorite. The pictures are amazing, he writes (and shows) everything about all types of meat. If you want to know how to properly cut up a piece of meat, learn how to cook a pigeon and other wild game, or need an education on the different parts of a cow, then this is your book.

So let's begin with what you need (makes four, 6 oz burgers):

• 1 1/2 lbs  of ground lamb (I got mine freshly ground at the in Arlington Heights)
• 1 Ripe Avocado
• 4oz of Feta cheese
•  2 Red Bell Peppers sliced long-ways into 1" wide sticks (mine were already sliced and waiting for me in the freezer from a few weeks ago—love the reduced produce rack - Cut it up and freeze!)***
• 2 medium cloves of garlic minced
• 2T Olive Oil
• 3T Curry powder
• 2T Cumin (I love cumin and find there is not enough in Curry powder)
• 1T Paprika
• 1T Lava salt (clink link to uncover a world of salt)
• Fresh ground pepper 
• Whole Wheat buns or slices of Rustic bread

Before you start the grill:

1. Combine with the lamb the minced garlic and all the spices (I do this part an hour or two before cooking so the flavors combine). Then form then into relatively thick patties, you don't want these guys to be over cooked!

2. Mix together the avocado and the feta until you get a creamy consistency (it's ok if it's not perfectly smooth, mine wasn't)  Try adding a hint of lime by adding a squeeze or two of juice. Or try adding a bit of fresh mint to the mix. Play around, it is your condiment!   

Grilling Time:

1. Start the grill and keep it on high. We have a gas grill but charcoal would be great for these burgers, too.

2. While the grill is heating, heat up a saute pan with 2T of olive oil, then add sliced peppers until desired firmness is right for you—some like their peppers crunchy, I like mine cooked until they are really soft. 

3.  Grill your burgers until they reach your required temperature, I cooked mine about 3-4 minutes on each side. 

4.  A few minutes into the grilling I placed the slices of bread on the top rack of my grill to toast them. 

5. Slather the bun with and guacamole, and top the burger with the sauteed red pepper and Enjoy!

The finished product was the best Lamb Burger I have ever made! I served the burgers with a side of grilled asparagus, which I tossed in jalapeno-citrus olive oil, salt, and fresh ground pepper. I also served up some boiled corn on the cob garnished with a dusting of paprika.

PS: When you freeze peppers, they loose all firmness when you allow them to defrost, so in this situation, I simply wrapped my peppers in foil and put them on the grill to heat up - they were perfect.