SPICE UP YOUR BURGER REPERTOIRE WITH THIS CRUNCHY, VIBRANTLY-FLAVORED SPICED LAMB BURGER.
“ This is one of my favorite Bon Appetit recipes of all time. I make it every summer — the lamb fat seeps into the pita (in a GOOD way) so it gets extra tasty. Also, so easy. Love love love. Careypolis Brooklyn 10/31/17”.
Thank you Careypolis for your ringing endorsement. I could not agree with you more. I came across this recipe, which Bon Appetit first published in 2014, quite by accident. Its author, Anissa Helou, lives in London where she writes, teaches, and cooks the food of her native Lebanon and the Middle East. It’s safe to say she knows a lot about lamb. And this recipe certainly is a tour-de-force. The Bon Appetit description is as follows: “As the lamb cooks inside the pita, the fat will render into the bread, creating a crunchy, compact, vibrantly flavored meat pie that’s unlike any burger you’ve ever had”. I’d add this to any summer grilling repertoire in a heartbeat. And you don’t even have to have a grill to make it.
At Left: Anissa Halou, Inventor of today’s Lamb Burger
GOOD NEWS! YOU DON’T NEED A GRILL TO MAKE IT!
For absolute recipe purists, I confess to having altered Ms. Halou’s. I started with just one pound of ground lamb. Annisa’s original recipe called for 2 ½ lbs of lamb shoulder. To compensate for using less lamb, I did re-jigger some of the other ingredients–but not all! I wanted every bit of onion and parsley in the original recipe. Likewise, I kept the original quantities of coriander and cumin — two of my favorite spices when cooking lamb. So I didn’t cut back using them. I ended up with an absolutely superb flavor. I also used a stovetop grill each time I cooked them. I am sure that firing up the Weber will produce a glorious result as well. So please do add these to your next summer get-together. Just one caveat. The lamb needs to chill for at least an hour and up to 8. And you should put the lamb into the pita an hour before you’re going to cook them. So please bake this extra time into the recipe when you make it. I used enough lamb in each Pita to make a patty about 3/8 of an inch thick.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH YOUR LAMB BURGERS?
Alongside the Lamb Burgers, I served grape tomatoes, sliced in half and dressed in Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil, then showered with parsley. I also made Tzatziki, a great tart accompaniment to the burgers. In lieu of an exact recipe, here’s what to do: Tzatziki is an easy thing to put together: Peel a whole cucumber (preferably English cucumber), dice it into bite-sized pieces, then mix in a container of Greek yogurt. Add a clove of finely minced garlic. (I use the microplane to mince the garlic.) Then add dill or mint or even parsley. Salt the mixture and taste it.
HERE IS THE RECIPE FOR THE BURGERS
We’ve adjusted to make 4-6 servings depending on how much lamb mixture you want to use in your Pitas. And after it some other burgers to add to your burger repertoire.
Spicy Lamb Burgers from Anissa Helou
Full of flavor, these are an exceptional addition to summer grilling even if it's done on a stovetop.
Ingredients
- 1 pounds ground lamb, preferably shoulder
- 1 medium Vidalia onion, very finely chopped
- ¾ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 cup olive oil, plus more for grilling
- 4 – 6 inch pita rounds with pockets
Directions
- Step 1 Using a fork, mix lamb, onion, parsley, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and ¼ cup oil in a large bowl. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Step 2 Prepare grill for medium heat and oil grate. Working one at a time, open each pita pocket by cutting along the seam, halfway around the perimeter. Spoon filling into pitas, spreading to edges. Close, pressing on filling to seal.
- Step 3 Grill pitas until filling is cooked through and bread is crisp, about 5 minutes per side.
- Step 4 DO AHEAD: Filling can be made 8 hours ahead. Keep chilled. Pitas can be stuffed 1 hour ahead. Cover and chill.
Sounds amazing! Love lamb and will surely savor this!
This is unbelievably good. It can be done stove top or on the grill–although I’ve yet to do the latter. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. XOXO
Hey Monte, we are making these tonight. Do you really mean 1 tablespoon of salt for 1 pound of ground lamb? Also 1/8 cup of olive oil is listed in the ingredients ,but 1/4 cup is listed in the directions. I’m winging it and will let you know how they turn out!
Can you let me know! I do apologize and hate it when I screw up a recipe. I do use a lot of salt mostly to counteract the gaminess of the lamb.
I LOVE these! In quarantine , I make individual patties + freeze them. Labeled “Monte’s lamb” — I’ve made on stove top in grill pan and regular saute pan — all work fine. Didn’t have pita so used flour tortillas and results are great.
Susanne, how thoughtful of you to take the time to write. That sounds like a wonderful thing to do with these wonderful burgers. So good to hear from you! XOXO Monte
Omg, these look so flavorful and not too heavy. Adding to my Montes’ recipes file!
Hi Ana, I am always so pleased when your name pops up! You will love these! Just a really nice take on a ‘burger’ Bon Appetit!
orignial recipe called for 2+ lbs of ground lamb…but same proportion of the rest of your ingredients….so is this ok for just 1 lb?
Dear Mikal, Please pardon me for not responding to your question earlier. We were in Eastern Europe and we only returned home yesterday. We feel that this recipe is far better with the addition of double the amount of spices used in the original. We will actually now return to the recipe and alter it to make that clear. We do appreciate your comments and again, we apologize for the late reply. Bon Appetit!