East Meets West Lamburgers

Pairs well with:

White Zinfandel

With strawberry and melon essences, this American original is perfectly at home with however you like to unwind.

We raise a lot of Shropshire in our small Midwest farming community.This burger is a nice alternative to gyros or leg of lamb.

Ingredients:

Feta-Yogurt Topping:

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

zest of 1 small lemon

2 minced scallions

1/2 cup shredded peeled cucumber

Filling:

6 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon finely minced garlic

1 tablespoon oregano

Patties:

1 1/2 pounds ground lamb

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

olive oil for brushing grill

1/3 cup oven-dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped (reserve oil)

6 large pumpernickel rolls, split

wooden skewers

Instructions:

Preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

Mix feta-yogurt topping (minus shredded cucumber); set aside. Mix filling ingredients together; set aside.

Combine ingredients for patties. Form into six patties. Place heaping tablespoon of filling in middle of each meat pattie, completely sealing it in. When grill is ready, brush the grill rack with olive oil. Brush top of patties with reserved oil from oven-dried tomatoes. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook until done, about 6-8 minutes per side, turning patties once, during grilling. (Brush top of turned patties with reserved oven-dried tomato oil.) During last minutes of grilling, place buns on the outer edges of the grill rack to toast lightly, turning once.

To assemble burgers, place burger on bottom bun half, top with feta-yogurt topping, shredded cucumber and tomatoes. Cover with bun top. Secure with skewer if desired.