Lamb Burgers with Whipped Feta & Mint
From Ainsley’s Good Mood Food, ITV
I love these lamb burgers – they’re simple to make and packed full of Mediterranean flavour. Great for a barbecue or a weeknight supper. The addition of the whipped feta-yoghurt takes the burger to another level!
Method
Put the feta, yoghurt and olive oil into a food processor and blend until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl when needed. Add the lemon zest and mint and pulse until combined. Season and chill until needed.
Put the minced lamb, garlic, onion, cumin, chilli flakes, herbs, lemon zest, ¾ tsp salt and a pinch of pepper into a bowl and mix together with your hands. Divide the mixture into 4 and shape into patties about 1 inch thick (or 8 smaller patties if you prefer). Press a thumb shaped indent into each burger – this will prevent the burgers puffing up during cooking and ensure a nice even patty.
Preheat a barbecue or a grill pan over a medium-high heat.
Drizzle the burgers with a little oil and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until cooked to your liking.
Meanwhile warm the pitta on the grill or in a preheated oven. Slice open the pitta to make a pocket and add salad leaves and slices of tomato. Place the burgers on top, add slices of onion and cucumber and spoon on some whipped feta.
Ingredients
- For the Burgers
- 500g good quality minced lamb (20% fat works well)
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- ½ red onion, finely chopped or grated
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp of chilli flakes
- 2 tsp fresh oregano leaves (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- zest of ½ large lemon
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the Whipped Feta
- 200g feta
- 3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- zest of ½ large lemon
- 2 tbsp chopped mint
- To Serve
- 4 Greek pitta or burger buns
- handful of salad leaves (I used baby spinach leaves)
- 2 large vine tomatoes, thinly sliced
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cucumber, thinly sliced