Greek Lamb Burger w/ Pickled Feta Relish & Blood Orange & Fennel Tazatziki
The Gyro is my inspiration for this burger.I love the elements of the gyro – feta, lamb and tazatziki. This is my rendition of that awesome sandwich in burger format!
Ingredients:
Pickled Feta Relish
1 cup feta cheese, cubed
½ small red onion – thinly sliced
¼ cup Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 lime, juice and zest
Blood Orange and Fennel Tazatziki
2 blood oranges
1 cup greek yogurt
1 tablespoon Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Colavita Balsamic Vinegar
½ English cucumber, shredded and water squeezed out
1 small head fennel – grated + 3 tablespoons fennel fronds
Patties
2 lbs ground lamb, preferably grass fed and organic
1 cup kalamata olives – pitted
½ cup sundried tomatoes marinated in oil, + 2 tablespoons marinade
1 bunch basil – finely chopped
Vegetable oil for brushing grill
6 potato hamburger buns, split
6 heirloom tomato slices
3 cups romaine lettuce – shredded
Instructions:
Preheat grill to medium high.
For the pickled feta and onion – in bowl, combine feta and onion. In separate bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, oregano and lime juice and zest. Mix well to combine. Pour over feta mixture. Mix well to combine. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.
For the tazatziki – zest one of the oranges and squeeze out the juice into a bowl. With second orange, segment half and save remaining half for another use. Chop segments into smaller pieces and add to juice in bowl. Add the zest and remaining ingredients to bowl and mix well. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the patty – in food processor, add olives, sundried tomatoes plus marinade and basil. Pulse until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and add the ground lamb. Mix well. Form into 6 patties. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
To cook and assemble – when grill is ready, brush with oil. Season both sides of burger patties with salt and pepper. Place on grill and cook 4-6 minutes per side for medium rare. During last two minutes of cooking, lightly toast buns. On bottom buns divide lettuce. Top with burger patty. On patty, place a tomato slice, some of the tazatziki and pickled feta onion mixture. Place top of bun on and enjoy.