Contributor and restaurant reviewer Matt Berkley knows that grilling season is a year-round event in St. Louis. In his new column, he’s breaking away from the backyard basics and sharing fresh recipes perfect for open fire cooking.
Cheeseburgers are nothing to scoff at. A properly grilled burger is a sublime feast that begs for deep glass of red wine. Such is the case with this burger recipe, which leans on simple, fresh ingredients to do the heavy lifting.
Essentially a gyro in burger form, savory grilled lamb is accentuated by a soft inner layer of feta and a bright juicy fresh tomato-cucumber dressing in this Mediterranean spin on a traditional burger. If you’re leery of using all lamb, which is quite rich and very distinct, feel free to swap half the meat in for more familiar beef. However, don’t dare omit the tomato-cucumber dressing or the yogurt sauce. These burgers are not friendly to ketchup and mustard. They are best enjoyed on top of hot pita bread or served with a heaping side of couscous. And a big glass of red wine certainly wouldn’t hurt either.
Stuffed Greek Burgers
8 servings
2 lbs. ground lamb
½ cup minced red onion
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
6 oz. traditional feta cheese (crumbled or whole)
Olive oil, for greasing
Tomato-Cucumber Dressing (recipe follows)
Garlic-Lemon Yogurt Sauce (recipe follows)
• Preheat a charcoal or gas grill for medium-high, direct heat.
• In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the lamb, onion, salt and pepper. Divide into 16 thin patties. Create a small well in the center of 8 patties and place a small amount of feta in each well. Cover the cheese with the remaining 8 patties and press around the edges to seal.
• Brush grates with olive oil and grill the burgers 5 minutes. Flip and grill another 5 to 6 minutes. Remove, tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes. Serve topped with the Tomato-Cucumber Dressing and Garlic-Lemon Yogurt Sauce.
Tomato Cucumber Dressing
2 to 3 medium tomatoes, diced
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
• In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients.
Garlic-Lemon Yogurt Sauce
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 minced garlic cloves
• In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients.
This article appears in September 2016.
