It’s the ideal time of year for grilling meat. Perhaps you might be looking for an alternative to a traditional beef burger? How about a lamb burger?

Icelandic Lamb PlaqueEd and I love lamb and have enjoyed these burgers for many years. I can’t help but think of Iceland now when I think of lamb. We enjoyed a fabulous trip there in 2018 to celebrate a milestone birthday of mine. The first Europeans settled there around 870 AD and apparently they brought sheep (lambs) with them that have been roaming free since 874 AD. I took a picture of this plaque at a bar in Reykjavík. It would appear that Icelanders embraced free range animal farming early on. Or, it’s just a great marketing campaign now. Everywhere we dined there was lamb on the menu.

For this recipe you take ground lamb and add some great herbs and spices to it – mint, paprika, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and garlic. They all come together for a nice flavor kick. Hopefully you have some fresh mint for your garden. And it’s topped with crumbled feta cheese. I also like to serve some hummus (store bought is fine!) and Greek olives alongside. Add a salad and this makes a great summer meal. While these burgers are grilled, you can also cook them on top of the stove in a frying pan.

Long before I gave up eating wheat, I rarely put a hamburger on a roll. I’ve served these without rolls, but you could put them on your favorite bun.

Spiced Lamb Burgers

 

Spiced Lamb Burgers
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Recipe type: Main Dish
Author:
Serves: 2 to 4
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground lamb
  • ½ cup minced fresh mint
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
  • 4 ounces hummus
  • ½ cup Greek olives (such as Kalamata)
Instructions
  1. Mix lamb, mint, garlic, paprika, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and salt in a medium bowl. Divide meat mixture into four and shape into small patties.
  2. Preheat a gas grill on medium direct heat. Place patties on grill and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, flipping once until the internal temperature is 145°F for medium-rare or 160°F for medium. (If you’re worried about the fat from the lamb causing a flare up, start patties on a piece of aluminum foil and finish them on the grill (last 2 minutes or so) so that they get nice grill marks.)
  3. Top with feta cheese. Serve hummus and olives alongside.
Notes
* You can make two larger patties instead, you may just need to cook them a bit longer.
* Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
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Source:  Variation on recipe from Bon Appétit, February, 2006