Apply your sunscreen, fire up the barbie and wow your garden party guests with this delicious burger recipe
If you want to diversify your meat intake, why not try using lamb instead of beef to make your homemade burgers?
This kofta burger recipe from Bord Bia is part of the Quality Mark Lamb campaign to showcase the versatility and ease of using lamb as the main ingredient in a variety of recipes.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Burgers
400g lean lamb mince
1 red pepper, trimmed and cut into quarters
1 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
A handful of coriander, chopped
A handful of parsley, chopped
A handful of dill, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Yogurt Dressing
½ a medium cucumber
200g thick natural yogurt
1 tbsp ground cumin
Squeeze of lemon juice
To serve:
Mixed Leaves
Burger buns
Potato wedges
Method:
To prepare the peppers: Place the pepper quarters under a hot grill, skin side up. Cook for about 5 minutes until the skin is black and bubbling. Remove and place in a small re-sealable bag to cool. When cool enough to handle remove the skin and cut each quarter in half.
To prepare the burgers: Heat a little oil in small pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and allow to cook for about 2-3 minutes until it has softened but not browned. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
Place the mince, cooled onion, garlic, herbs, cumin, cinnamon and seasoning in a large bowl. Mix well. Using clean hands, shape mixture into four 2cm-thick burgers.
To cook the burgers: Heat a grill pan or barbecue to high. Brush a little over the grill pan. Add the burgers and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
Cut the buns in half and lightly toast on the pan or barbecue.
To make the yogurt dressing: Cut the cucumber in half lengthways. Remove the seeds then finely dice the cucumber. In a small bowl combine the cucumber with the yogurt, cumin and lemon juice. Season and taste.
To assemble: Spread the bases of the toasted burger buns with some yogurt dressing. The top each bun with leaves, two pieces of pepper, a burger and another spoonful of the yogurt dressing. Serve any remaining dressing on the side. Delicious with potato wedges.
