Turkish Lamb Burgers with Mint Slaw

This recipe combines the flavors of Turkish lamb kebabs (adana kebab) and Turkish cucumber salad, which, served together on a pita, lets you experience all the flavors at once. 

For the burgers:

• 2 lb ground lamb
• 1 small red onion, grated
• 1/2 c crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tsp dried parsley)
• 1 Tbs Aleppo pepper (or crushed red pepper flakes) - this will make it spicy so use less if you don't want any heat!
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sumac (or 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp lemon zest)
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

For slaw:

• 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 c fresh mint, chopped
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 2 tsp honey

To serve:

• 6 pitas

Mix all the burger ingredients together and form into 6 thin patties (1/3 lb each). Refrigerate at least 4 hours so the flavors meld.

A few hours before serving, mix the slaw ingredients together and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

To prepare, cook the burgers on a griddle or over the grill for 5 to 7 minutes per side until well-done, flipping once. Lamb is about 80/20 (i.e. not lean) so put it over a cooling rack or on an extra rimmed plate to drain excess grease before you put it on the bread.

Toast the pitas on the griddle or grill until crisp. I just fold the pita in half around the burger, but you can also cut the pitas into 4 or 5 inch rounds, depending on how big the finished burger patties are, and serve them on that (but you'll need 12 pitas :)). Top the burger patty with a generous amount of the slaw. Enjoy!

Turkish Lamb Burgers with Cucumber Mint Slaw

Yield: 6

Author: Mallory

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 15 MinInactive time: 4 HourTotal time: 4 H & 30 M

Ingredients

For the Lamb Burgers:

• 2 lb ground lamb
• 1 small red onion, grated
• 1/2 c crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tsp dried parsley)
• 1 Tbs Aleppo pepper (or crushed red pepper flakes) - this will make it spicy so use less if you don't want any heat!
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sumac (or 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp lemon zest)
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 6 pitas (to serve)

For the Slaw:

• 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 c fresh mint, chopped
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 2 tsp honey

Instructions

1. Mix all the burger ingredients together and form into 6 thin patties (1/3 lb each). Refrigerate at least 4 hours so the flavors meld.
2. A few hours before serving, mix the slaw ingredients together and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
3. To prepare, cook the burgers on a griddle or over the grill for 5 to 7 minutes per side until well-done, flipping once. Lamb is about 80/20 (i.e. not lean) so put it over a cooling rack or on an extra rimmed plate to drain excess grease before you put it on the bread.
4. Toast the pitas on the griddle or grill until crisp. I just fold the pita in half around the burger, but you can also cut the pitas into 4 or 5 inch rounds, depending on how big the finished burger patties are, and serve them on that (but you'll need 12 pitas :)). Top the burger patty with a generous amount of the slaw. Enjoy!

Calories

676.36

Fat (grams)

35.91

Sat. Fat (grams)

14.65

Carbs (grams)

40.62

Fiber (grams)

2.73

Net carbs

37.89

Sugar (grams)

4.48

Protein (grams)

45.74

Sodium (milligrams)

1366.08

Cholesterol (grams)

157.79