Spiced Lamb Burgers

Updated Feb. 1, 2022

Spiced Lamb Burgers
Francesco Tonelli for The New York Times
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(309)
Comments
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This recipe came from a revelation in the ’70s, when my friend Semeon Tsalbins introduced me to the lamb burger. It is ground lamb — shoulder is best — highly seasoned and grilled rare. Because lamb is the most full-flavored of the everyday meats, it makes a more delicious plain burger than beef. Cooked with nothing but salt, it’s fantastic. Cooked with a variety of spices, as it is here, it’s a game-changer. You can also stuff the burger, as Mr. Tsalbins does on occasion, with smoked mozzarella.

Featured in: For the Grill, Burgers Beyond the Basic

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Ingredients

Yield:4 burgers
  • pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into chunks
  • 1medium (or ½ large) onion, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1fresh chili, preferably jalapeño, seeded and minced
  • 1teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½teaspoon turmeric
  • Salt
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Diced mango to garnish (optional)
  • green and red pepper to garnish (optional)
  • red onion to garnish (optional)
  • scallion to garnish (optional)
  • shredded carrot to garnish (optional)
  • shredded lettuce, to garnish (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

469 calories; 37 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 29 grams protein; 481 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    If grilling or broiling, heat should be medium-high and rack about 4 inches from fire. Put lamb and onion into a food processor (in batches if your machine is small) and pulse until coarsely ground. Put in a bowl with chili, coriander, cumin and turmeric, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix, handling the meat as little as possible, until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings. Handling meat as lightly as possible to avoid compressing it, shape it into 4 or more burgers.

  2. Step 2

    To broil or grill, cook about 3 minutes on each side for rare and another minute per side for each increasing stage of doneness. For stovetop, heat a large skillet over medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes, then add patties; cook, undisturbed, for about 2 minutes, then rotate them so they brown evenly. Turn once and cook for a total of about 6 minutes for rare.

  3. Step 3

    Garnish with diced mango, green and red pepper, red onion and scallion, and with shredded carrot and lettuce.

Ratings

5 out of 5
309 user ratings
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Comments

Why not start with ground lamb?

Proportions are tastier if 1 pound of lamb is used with spices listed.

Huge hit for an Easter BBQ! Blending the lamb and onions in a food processor seemed bizarre to me, so I did a fine mince on the onion and jalapeno and then just mixed gently. Burgers held together perfectly and there was still a nice crunch from the veggie. The mangos at the market were not ripe, so I made the slaw with purple lettuce, scallion, carrot, and green pepper and dressed with a mango/habanero jam (diluted with water) which was perfect. A perfect blend of heat/spice/sweet!!

Ground versus chunks: resulting texture. The food processor incorporates the onion throughout either way. It’s a matter of which texture you’d like to end up with. I think?

1# lamb Same spices as written Don’t use turmeric A lot of salt and pepper on patties Make patties bit thinner - cooked edge parts are sooo good Served with tzatziki In a burger bun? Whoa. Would be great.

I toasted my spices before adding, just assumed this was a step, and substituted minced garlic for the onion. And with no Mango in the house I topped with a nice feta. Worked well. This is a versatile recipe.

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