It’s summer time, and that calls out for something delicious cooked out on the grill. Grilling a moist and tasty burger is an art. Never being one for simplicity, I am always trying for a new spin on the classics. And that classic burger isn’t known for packing in the veg (topping a patty with a single leaf of lettuce and a tomato slice just won’t cut it in our house.) This recipe, not only hosts lots of vegetables but makes a much moister and more flavorful burger all around. This recipe is inspired by the traditional Lamb Kofta kebabs, we love the spices in this.
This recipe is all about the fresh herbs and spices. I add mushrooms to keep the burger moist, and then add in as much seasonal veg as I can.
We’ve been getting beautiful beets from our CSA. I figured they would compliment the ground lamb, adding a nice earthiness, and a great color, so much of enjoying what you eat is in the aesthetics of the food.
I love the convenience of the food processor, all this great flavor gets chopped up so it can infuse its self into the base of ground lamb and ground beef.
Now comes the part where I get to get my hands dirty; I find that mixing the ground meat and the veg is most efficiently done by hand. Besides, I’m going to get my hands dirty when I shape the patties, so why bother having to wash another spoon.
Ready for the grill…
Salad topped with fresh Scarlet Runner beans (also thanks to our CSA), oven roasted potatoes, and a pita bread “bun” complete our yummy dinner.
RECIPE: makes 6-8 patties
1/2 pound Ground Lamb
1/2 pound Ground Beef*
1 cup each grated Beet, Daikon Radish**, and Zucchini
1/2 Onion, chopped
1/4 pound Button Mushrooms
2 cloves Garlic
1 Tbsp chopped and peeled Fresh Ginger
1/4 cup Fresh Parsley
2 Tbsp Fresh Mint
1 Tbsp each Fresh Tarragon, Fresh Thyme, and Fresh Rosemary***
2 tsp each Cumin, and Coriander
1 tsp each Cinnamon, Black Pepper, and Salt
If you happen to have one, use the grater blade on your food processor to grate your veg (Beet, Daikon, Zucchini) or use whatever grater you have. I do recommend peeling your root vegetables first (beet and daikon.) There is no need to peel summer squash.
Toss your Garlic, Ginger, herbs (Parsley, Mint, Tarragon, Thyme, and Rosemary) spices (Cumin, Coriander, Cinnamon, Pepper, and Salt) into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times till everything is uniformly chopped.
Add in your Mushrooms and Onions. Pulse a few more times, enough to chop everything, but not enough to make a soup.
Get a big bowl, put in your Lamb and Beef, add in the grated veg, herb and spice mixture. Using your hands knead your ingredients till everything is well mixed. Shape into patties. Grill on a preheated, cleaned and oiled, medium-hot grill for 7 minutes. Flip the patties, and grill 3 to 5 minutes more, keeping in mind that bigger patties need more time. Enjoy!
* I have made this recipe with all ground lamb, all ground chicken, ground turkey, and combinations of lamb, chicken, and beef. Use what you like best.
** I happened to have daikon radish, so that’s what I used, but celery root, or turnip, or parsnip would all work deliciously.
*** Use what fresh herbs you like, and/or have on hand. The parsley and the mint or the only two herbs that I would argue are necessary to get the right flavor, but experiment, you never know what you love till you try it!
