Grilled Lamb Burgers with Herbed Lemon Tahini Sauce (original) (raw)
Skip the basic burger! Creating grilled lamb burgers filled and topped with the quintessential ingredients of the Mediterranean region is an easy task. Olives, roasted peppers, lemon, garlic, mint… the one thing sure to to show up to the party is flavor!
These grilled lamb burgers with herb lemon tahini sauce are grilled to perfection!
Kevin and I love a great burger. You know the kind….fluffy bun topped with a meaty patty that’s piled high in flavorful toppings?
You just can’t go wrong with a burger! Burgers can be made with just about any meat (or veggie) and the topping options are endless! So when we were planning a dinner party for my step-father Barry, we thought we’d make the ultimate grilled lamb burgers.
Barry LOVES lamb. Growing up, we would purchase a whole lamb from the butcher each year, so we ate it super often. Maybe a little too often because it took me a long time to come around to the idea of cooking lamb at home. But lets just say that I’m over that now.
How to make Mediterranean Lamb Burgers
Lamb makes a perfect burger because it is has a nice amount of fat in it. Fat in a burger = juicy!!!! But to make sure we grilled the most juicy burgers possible we added lots of Mediterrean inspired flavors to our patties. (I guess I have a thing for Mediterranean burgers? Do you remember this awesome recipe for Turkey Tabouleh Burgers? LOL! What can I say? I love the intense flavors of the region).
Everyone knows that to get the best tasting burger, you have to start with the patty! So we added olives, garlic, roasted red peppers, lemon zest, fresh oregano and spices to the lamb. The goal is the let those ingredients marinate into the meat. Not only does this add flavor, but moisture. That way when the meat is grilled, the lamb is infused with seasoning while also self-basting from the inside out.
After the grilling comes the bling! For a pop of freshness, we topped our grilled lamb burgers with an herbed lemon tahini spread. The sauce is delicious in it’s own right. So much so, I could eat it with a spoon! It’s got all the classic ingredients that make your mouth water like honey, lemon, garlic, and fresh mint.
But you know a Vintage Kitty recipe has to go one step further! For a little extra glam, we added pickled onions because I am so hooked on them right now! But you can also add feta, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers….
In fact, that’s one of the reasons these grilled lamb burgers make a great dinner party main course! Put out a spread of toppings for your dinner guests to choose from and then watch how unique each burger will be. You can tell a lot about a person from the burgers they build! Am I right?
What are your favorite burger toppings? Leave me a comment below to inspire my next burger recipe!
Grilled Lamb Burgers
- 2 lbs ground lamb
- 3 cloves garlic , finely minced
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives , finely chopped
- 1 cup roasted red peppers , finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano , finely chopped
- zest of two lemons
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon hot chili powder
- 6 hamburger buns
Herbed Lemon Tahini Sauce
- 6 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 cup tahini
- juice of two lemons
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 bunches fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh mint
Optional Toppings
- Pickled onions
- Feta cheese
Grilled Lamb Burgers
- In a bowl, mix together ground lamb, olives, garlic, roasted peppers, lemon zest, oregano, chili powder, and black pepper and then shape into 6 patties.
- Preheat your grill for high heat.
- Sear burgers over direct heat. Once the outside has nice grill marks, move the burgers to indirect heat and let cook until the internal temperature of the burgers reach 160F
- Grill buns if desired.
Herbed Lemon Tahini Sauce
- Combine the tahini, lemon juice, honey and garlic in a blender and process until smooth.
- Add the parsley and mint and pulse until the herbs are chopped.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serving
Place burgers on buns and smear with tahini sauce
Add additional condiments like pickled onions and feta if desired.
The burger patties can be made ahead! I suggest one day in the fridge or up to one month in the freezer. Make sure to tightly wrap your burgers.
Tahini sauce can prepped too! It keeps up to 3 days in the refridgerator.
To save on calories cut the tahini sauce in half. The portion as listed is intended to be served on the table and you never know how much guests will pile on their burgers!
Make this recipe extra special with homemade brioche burger buns! Learn how to make this classic bread from Foodal.
Calories: 758kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 825mg | Potassium: 734mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 2050IU | Vitamin C: 59.2mg | Calcium: 208mg | Iron: 7mg
Let us know how it turned out for you! Scroll down to leave a comment below.
Love these flavors? Do you have leftover cucumbers and feta? Then this quinoa salad with feta is for you!
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