Curried Lamb Burgers and Mint Raita

Burgers are an easy lunch staple for batch cooking. They’re quick and versatile. I try to make either lamb or turkey burgers since I otherwise eat a lot of beef. One way to spruce up burgers is to use lots of seasonings, like this modified epicurious curried lamb burger recipe. I didn’t find them spicy at all, just flavourful, but the mint raita went very well with them. Sauces, raitas, aiolis, etc. are a great way to dress up burgers. The recipe also calls for some grilled zucchini with green onions and chile as a side, which I’m sure would taste great, but I passed on it. I tend to eat my lunches cold, and zucchini straight from the fridge didn’t really appeal to me.

Ingredients:

Raita:

• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (preferably Greek-style)
• 3 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 1/4 tsp finely grated lime peel
• coarse salt
• freshly ground pepper

Burgers:

• ghee
• 1 1/4 cups chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons peeled fresh ginger, minced
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt, divided
• 2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
• 1 3/4 pounds ground lamb
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cracked black pepper, divided

Preparation:

Raita:

1. Mix all ingredients in bowl.

2. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Chill in fridge, at least 30 minutes.

Burgers:

1. Heat ghee in large skillet over medium heat.

2. Add onion, ginger, and 1/2 tsp salt. Sauté until onion is tender (about 8 minutes). Add curry powder and stir 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Cool for at least 15 minutes.

3. Place lamb in large bowl. Add onion mixture, 1 tsp salt, cilantro, and 1 tsp pepper. Mix gently by hand. Shape into six 1/2” thick patties.

4. Grill burgers (we ended up baking ours, but I think I prefer grilled).

5. Serve dollop of raita over burgers.

Shared with Real Food Wednesdays.