An Effing Foodie: LambBurger! LambBurger! (with Mint and Cumin)

My Mister originates from the Land Down Under; so it was no real surprise that in the course of dating, lamb has become the primary red meat for our meals for two. (No worries, I get my cow fixes in when he's a-travelin'.) Most of the time, this just means seared chops marinated in olive oil, crushed garlic cloves, and lots of bruised rosemary.

But as we were wandering the fluorescent hall of meat at our local Stop-and-Shop, I spied ground lamb hiding between the pre-formed turkey patties and mounds of ground chuck. Hmmmm....

For whatever reason, my homemade hamburger attempts have never been anything to write home about. Methinks this has something to do with my love of char--alas, I'm in a perpetually grill-less state. But these LambBurgers came out really nicely, considering they were sans cow + sans direct flame.

I bought ginourmous kaiser rolls that made the 1/3 pound patties I patted look tiny:

So don't let those big buns push your lamb burgers around--go to a 1/2 pound. I'm not generally a proponent of 1/2 pound burgers: you know, the burgers that seemed like a GRAND idea when you start eating them, but you end up leaving the last third or so of partially-cooked meat puck cloaked in finger-mashed, pinky bread and slimy lettuce gauze. Most of my favored burger experiences are in the 1/3 lb. and below weight class--Shake Shack, the soon-to-be departed Schnack, White Castle (YAH, that's right!!!), the faraway In-n-Out, and yet further-away Kua'Aina.

But trust me, with these flavorful fellas, you'll blow through their burger equators and never look back. Those who are big babies about the gaminess of lamb, feel free to sub beef, but I feel like the ricotta, mint and cumin mellow (without masking) the scary sheep experience.

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LambBurger! LambBurger!

A not-particularly-original original recipe by An Effing Foodie.
Yields 2 half-pound burgers.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground lamb
1-2 TBSP. ricotta
1 tsp. cumin, ground
2 TBSP. dried mint
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (I go for about 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper)
1 TBSP. butter or olive oil
2 Kaiser rolls, halved and toasted/grilled

Fixins:

2-4 Tomato slices (optional)
2-4 Red onion slices (optional)
2-4 Leaves butter lettuce (optional)
Lube: Mayo, ketchup, mustard, harissa, Sriracha (optional)

Useful-but-not-essential equipment:

Splatter screen

Method:

In a large bowl, gently combine the first 5 ingredients, preferably with your hands. (No meat mashing! The more you manhandle yer meat, the tougher and sadder the resulting burger!) Divide the meat mixture into 2 parts, and form them into wide, flat patties no thicker than an inch in the center, for even cooking--no one likes a meatball on a bun.

(If you're using conventional, weenie burger buns, divide into three parts and make 1/3-lb. patties instead. For wee eaters, do 1/4-lb-ers, and remember to adjust cooking times accordingly.)

If you're a loser with no grill (ME!) bring a large skillet to high heat. (Might want to disable your smoke alarms.) Add your oil or butter, coating the pan bottom. When the pan is smoking hot, carefully add your 2 patties and retreat, covering the skillet with a splatter screen.

Since lamb is pretty lean, and you made those patties wide (RIGHT?) it won't take long for these guys to cook--about 2-3 minutes a side for medium (I'm guessing 2 for medium-rare, 4 for medium-well). In the meantime, toast the buns and slice your fixins.

If you want to make CheeseLambBurgers, place the cheese of your choice on the patties after the initial flip.

Poke a patty in the center with your spatula to see if they're done to your liking. Place on buns, stack fixins, and smear with the lube of your choice (we went without, and felt no loss, but get as baroque as you'd like). Shove in face immediately.

Re-enable smoke alarms.