ground lamb | Adventures in Thyme

Lamb Burger

Let’s just pause here a moment and look at that picture once more – salivating yet? We love lamb, and this yummy burger really hits the spot after a long day at work. Let’s get grilling with Burgers Part Deux!

For the burger, mix gently together:
1 lb ground lamb
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 Tablespoon dried basil
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
3/4 cup crumbled sheep’s feta (or goat feta); reserve additional feta to garnish the burger
Note: Overmixing the burger will destroy the yummy chunks of cheese crumbles so mix thoroughly, but gently.

For the Tzatziki dressing, mix together:
1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 shallot minced fine
6 oz plain goat yogurt
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Additional ingredients as desired: burger buns, sliced tomatos, butter lettuce, fries.

Grill burgers on your bbq, or fry in a pan in your kitchen. While they are cooking, warm your burger buns if you like them a little toasty, we used ciabatta rolls. When the burgers are done, “Accoutrements assemble!” We stacked our burger with lettuce, burger, tzatziki, tomato, and feta. But some crispy bacon is also a good addition or some French fried onions (they’re good on lots of things other than green beans!).

Enjoy!

Meatballs with tomato sauce

Yep, another meatball recipe – they’re just so darn good! And perfectly sized to take to work the next day for lunch. So let’s get to it:

Meatballs

1 lb Ground Sirloin
1 lb Ground Lamb
2 cups Cooked Long Grain Rice (I used brown basmati rice)
2 Eggs
2 sprigs Rosemary, chopped
2 sprigs Oregano, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Cheese
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 14.5oz can peeled, chopped Tomatoes

Sauce

5 8oz cans Tomato Sauce
1 sprig Rosemary, chopped
1 sprig Oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon good Balsamic Vinegar
4 tablespoons Honey
2 teaspoons baking soda
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. You’ll need two baking dishes (I used a 9” x 13” and a 9” x 9”)

Combine the ground meat, rice, eggs, chopped rosemary and oregano, grated cheese, canned tomatoes (with the juice) salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix together gently using your hands until the ingredients are well mixed.

Form the meat mixture into 2 to 2 ½ inch balls. You should end up with 12 to 14 meatballs. Place the meatballs into your baking dishes so they aren’t crammed together. Place in the oven and back for 30 minutes or until they start to brown on top.

While the meatballs are cooking, make your sauce. Combine the tomato sauce, chopped herbs, balsamic vinegar and honey in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the baking soda a teaspoon at a time. (This will neutralize the acid in the tomato sauce.) Stir in gently. Once it has stopped foaming, add the second teaspoon and mix it in. Once the sauce is hot, taste and add salt and pepper. Turn down to low and let simmer.

Once the meatballs have started to brown, spoon about half your sauce over the meatballs and return them to the oven. Cook another 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat is 160 degrees.

Serve with the remaining sauce and side dishes of your choice. (We served ours with rice and a vegetable.)

Enjoy!

Luscious Lamb Burgers

Beefy Lamb Meatball Goodness