Greek Lamb Burger with Feta and Roasted Peppers
Lamb burger with crumbled feta, roasted red pepper strips, and a mint yogurt sauce on warm pita or brioche.
- Prep
- 15min
- Cook
- 9min
- Total
- 24min
- Serves
- 2
- Calories
- 750per serving, est.
By Time for Burgers, updated
Lamb carries more fat and a stronger, grassier taste than beef, so the seasoning stays simple: dried oregano, a little cumin, salt and pepper worked into the meat. Feta goes on for the last minute only. It won't melt like cheddar; it just softens and warms through, which keeps its salty bite.
The sauce is Greek yogurt with fresh mint and lemon zest, cold against the hot patty. Roasted red pepper strips add sweetness and arugula adds a peppery edge. Warm pita keeps it close to a gyro, while a toasted brioche bun holds together better if you eat it with your hands.
Greek Lamb Burger with Feta and Roasted Peppers
Prep 15 min, cook 9 min, total 24 min. About 750 calories per serving.
timeforburgers.com/recipes/aegean-lamb-feta-burger
Serves 2.
Ingredients
Instructions
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In a bowl, mix ground lamb with 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp cumin, salt, and pepper. Form into 2 equal patties.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and cook lamb patties for 4 minutes per side, until an instant-read thermometer in the center of a patty reads 160°F (71°C).
During the last minute of cooking, divide 2 oz crumbled feta between the patties to soften slightly.
While patties cook, make the yogurt sauce: stir together ¼ cup Greek yogurt, 1 tsp chopped mint, and 1 tsp lemon zest in a small bowl. Season with salt.
Warm pita breads or toast brioche buns until lightly golden.
Spread the mint yogurt sauce inside breads, add 1½ oz baby arugula, place lamb patties with feta, top with roasted red pepper strips, and close with top bread.
Tips
- Mix the spices into the lamb with your fingertips just until they disappear. Overworked lamb turns dense and springy.
- Lamb renders more fat than lean beef. If the pan fills up after the first side, pour some off so the patties keep searing instead of frying.
- Crumble the feta finely and press it lightly onto the patty so it stays put when you lift it. A lid over the pan for that last minute helps it soften.
- At 5 ounces (140 g) each, these patties can need a minute more than 4 per side. Check the center for 160°F (71°C) before the feta goes on.
Substitutions
- Ground beef, or half beef and half lamb: milder, and it cooks in the same time to the same 160°F (71°C).
- Dried mint instead of fresh: use a big pinch and let the sauce sit 10 minutes so it softens.
- Labneh instead of Greek yogurt: thicker and tangier, so the sauce stays put in a pita.
- Gluten-free: skip the bread and serve the patty over the arugula with the sauce spooned on top, or use a gluten-free bun.
Make ahead & storage
The yogurt sauce keeps 3 days covered in the fridge, and raw patties can be shaped a day ahead. Cooked patties keep 3 to 4 days; reheat in a skillet to 165°F (74°C) and add fresh feta and sauce afterward.
