Lamb & Mint Burgers with Yoghurt Sauce

This is a recipe I came across in Easy Living magazine a while back. Lamb and mint must be one of my favourite ever combinations so I was quite keen to try this recipe.

I wasn't disappointed by this meal at all. It was quite simple to make - okay a fair bit of chopping but as per usual, my Kenwood Mini Chopper proved invaluable! You can make these burgers up to 24 hours in advance so whilst there is a bit of chopping involved, you can prepare them a little bit earlier in the day if that makes life easier for you. In fact, it's good to chill them for a few hours as this helps them hold together better.

The minty yoghurt sauce was fabulous, and was great as a dip for the paprika wedges I served these burgers with.

Lamb and Mint Burgers with Yoghurt Sauce

Ingredients

2 slices of white bread, crusts removed
Milk, for soaking
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 long red chilli, chopped
4 tbsp chopped mint plus 2 tbsp extra
600g minced lamb
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Large pinch of chilli powder
Grated zest of 1 lemon
150ml plain yoghurt
2 tbsp olive oil

To serve;
Ciabetta
Rocket
Cherry tomatoes

Method

Break the bread into pieces and soak in the milk for around 5 minutes. Squeeze the excess liquid from the bread and crumble into a large mixing bowl.

Mix the bread, onion, garlic, chilli, 4 tbsps of mint, lamb, cumin, coriander and lemon zest and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Divide the mixture into four and shape into burgers about an inch thick. Chill for at least thirty minutes.

To make the sauce, mix the yoghurt with the remaining 2 tbsps mint and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To cook, brush each burger with a little olive oil and place under a hot grill for about 5 minutes on each side until nicely brown and cooked through.

Serve hot with toasted ciabatta, rocket, tomatoes and the yoghurt sauce.

As I mentioned above, I served these with paprika wedges which are literally just that - potatoes cut into wedges and put onto a baking tray, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkle of salt and a good sprinkle of smoked paprika. Really tasty.

love & kisses

Mrs M x