Greek-Style Lamb Burgers with Creamy Tzatziki Sauce

Themo Saurus
Themo Saurus
It’s hard to deny a burger during grilling season, but by August the standard cheeseburger has started to feel a little old.

Recipe Details

It’s hard to deny a burger during grilling season, but by August the standard cheeseburger has started to feel a little old. The good news? It doesn’t take much to switch things up. By adding a few spices, changing up the protein, swapping out the cheese, or making a special sauce, you can have an entirely new and flavorful burger on your hands.

The Secret to This Burger Is All in the Sauce

Tzatziki is a classic Greek condiment that’s often served alongside grilled meats or kebabs, or as part of a mezze platter as a dip for veggies or pita. It’s a simple mix of thick strained yogurt, cucumbers, lemon juice or vinegar, garlic, olive oil, and fresh herbs such as dill and mint. What’s not to love?

The creamy, rich, and tangy sauce helps round out the hearty lamb in this dish —but you’ll love it for more than just burgers. Tzatziki pairs well with almost any summer dish, be it a simple salad, grilled fish, spiced chicken, or even a turkey sandwich. 

Instructions

  1. Make the tzatziki: Place 1 cup Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup grated cucumber, 1 grated garlic clove, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, and finely grated zest and juice from 1/2 lemon in a medium bowl. Chop until you have 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped mint leaves; place 1 tablespoon with the yogurt mixture, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine to make the tzatziki. Place the remaining 2 tablespoons mint in a large bowl for the burgers.
  2. Make the burgers: Add the 1 1/4 pounds ground lamb, 1/4 cup grated red onion, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried), 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the mint in the large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix with your hands until just combined. Form into 4 (6-ounce) patties that are about 1-inch thick and set aside.
  3. Heat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat, or for the stovetop, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Season the lamb burgers on both sides with more salt. Grill or sear on the stovetop until browned, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let the patties rest 6 to 8 minutes before assembling. Meanwhile, wash and dry some green leaf lettuce, slice up some red onion and tomatoes, and crumble some feta cheese for the burgers.
  4. Place some lettuce and red onion in each pita pocket or on the bottom half of each hamburger bun. Top each with a lamb patty, tzatziki sauce, tomato, and feta cheese.

Recipe Note

Storage: Leftover tzatziki and lamb patties can be refrigerated in separate airtight containers up to 4 days.

8

Serves

Preparation time

25 minutes

Cooking Time

40 minutes to 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the filling:

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 pounds (about 4 1/2 cups) fresh sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted
  • 1 tablespooon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the pie

  • 1 (14- to 16-ounce) package prepared pie crusts, thawed if frozen (or 2 homemade pie crusts)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • 1 tablespoon coarse sugar, such as demerara

Instructions

1

Cook the filling on the stovetop. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together in a large saucepan. Add the cherries, vanilla, and salt and toss to coat in the sugar-cornstarch mixture. Cook over medium-high heat until the cherries begin to break down and the mixture begins to simmer and thicken slightly, 8 to 10 minutes.

2

Preheat the oven and prepare the pie shell Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven, set a baking sheet on it, and heat the oven to 375°F. Unroll one of the pie doughs and transfer it to a 9-inch standard pie pan. Press the dough into the bottom and along the sides of the pie plate, being

3

Egg wash and sugar the top crust. Whisk the egg and water together with a fork in a small bowl to make an egg wash. Brush the inside of the pie crust with a thin layer of the egg wash (save the remaining for brushing the top crust). Pour the cooled filling into the crust.

4

Egg wash and sugar the top crust. Whisk the egg and water together with a fork in a small bowl to make an egg wash. Brush the inside of the pie crust with a thin layer of the egg wash (save the remaining for brushing the top crust). Pour the cooled filling into the crust.

5

Egg wash and sugar the top crust. Whisk the egg and water together with a fork in a small bowl to make an egg wash. Brush the inside of the pie crust with a thin layer of the egg wash (save the remaining for brushing the top crust). Pour the cooled filling into the crust.

6

Bake the pie on the hot baking sheet. Place the pie on the hot baking sheet and bake until the filling is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes. If the edges of the pie crust are browning too quickly, cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.

7

Cool before slicing. Transfer the pie to a wire cooling rack and cool completely before slicing, about 4 hours.

Frozen cherries can also be used for this pie. Just thaw them completely before starting the filling.