Greek Lamb Burger with Fried Saganaki, Homemade Bacon, and Cilantro Tzatziki [Zack]

I've been on a burger kick lately, but this Greek lamb burger with fried saganaki, homemade bacon, and cilantro tzatziki is my favorite I've ever made.  I wanted to try to make as much of the burger from scratch as I could (as a personal challenge), but high-quality store-bought ingredients are just as good.

Process:

Start by frying bacon in a medium-low frying pan to render the fat and crisp the bacon.  Remove bacon from pan when crispy and reserve the fat for cooking the lamb burger.

Mince garlic and cilantro, and combine with the mayo.  If you want a smoother presentation, you can put in the food processor or blender for a few pulses.

Toast your buns in advance so you don't have to worry about these later.

Form ground lamb into 3 patties and salt and pepper both sides.

Get 1 non-stick frying pan going over medium heat for the saganaki, and 1 cast iron or regular pan heated up over high heat for the lamb burgers.

Slice the kefalograviera (saganaki cheese) into squares and fry in a little bit of olive oil until crispy on both sides.  You can squeeze a bit of lemon on top if desired.

Cook the burger in your hot pan for a few minutes per side until it reaches your desired internal temperature.

Assemble the burger and enjoy!

Ingredients (makes about 3 burgers):
1lb of ~80/20 ground lamb
1/2lb of sliced bacon
3 burger buns

Tzatziki:
1 cup mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 loose cup of cilantro leaves, minced

Saganaki:
1/2 lb kefalograviera cheese (halloumi works here too)
1T olive oil
optional 1/2 lemon

Song:  Marian Hill - Got it

Jamaican Jerk Burgers with Orange-Chipotle Mayonnaise [Rhonda]

Degree of difficulty: easy
Time: 10 minutes prep, plus grilling time
Serves: 6

This burger is such a nice switch from the usual cheeseburger and takes about the same amount of time in the kitchen, which is to say, not much, particularly if you stir up the mayo ahead of time. (By the way, orange-chipotle mayo has major potential for any number of things--steamed shrimp, crispy fried fish--it's ridiculously tasty.)

Although I've made a few additions and changes over time, the basis of this recipe is from Lynne Rosetto Kasper's newsletter, The Splendid Table, from American Public Media. I highly recommend you subscribe to it if you don't already, as Kasper has an amazing repertoire of interesting menu ideas. I met her at a cooking demonstration at the North Market in Columbus several years ago, and she is as nice as she is smart.

Ingredients:

Orange-Chipotle Mayonnaise:
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons orange juice
Zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chiles (I use much more--I love the intensity of this flavor!)

Jerk Sauce:
1 bunch scallions, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (I use a sprinkle of dried when I don't have fresh)
1 small habanero chile or 2 medium jalapeno chiles, seeded, chopped
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy sauce

2 pounds ground beef

6 sesame seed hamburger buns
Spinach leaves or romaine lettuce
Tomato slices

For orange-chipotle mayo: Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Can make a day ahead, refrigerate.

For jerk sauce: Finely chop first 4 ingredients in food processor. Add sugar, oil and soy sauce, process until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat grill (I'm still old-school and use charcoal--it adds such a nice flavor). Set aside 3/4 cup jerk sauce. (The rest of the jerk sauce can be served with the burgers or refrigerated to use on chicken, pork, etc.)

Shape ground beef into six patties, place in a glass baking dish, pour 1/2 cup of jerk sauce over patties and turn to coat. Let stand 20 minutes.

Grill patties, brushing with remaining jerk sauce from baking dish. Assemble hamburgers, using the lettuce, tomato, patties and orange-chipotle mayo.  Serve immediately.

Suggested soundtrack: It kept playing in my head as I devoured my burger--Usher's "OMG"

Blue Ridge Mountain Bleu Burgers [Tom & June]

We're currently in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Georgia in a quaint log cabin. We have an incredible view of the mountains which has layer upon layer of various mountain landscapes with the high point being the Blue Ridge.

So how does this translate to food? Well, if you know the "K" family - EVERYTHING translates to food! But here, the Blue Ridge Mountains brings to mind Bleu Cheese Burgers - lots of blue - lots of layers. So here's our Blue Ridge Bleu Burger. We know these probably aren't unique and everyone knows how to make them, but if you haven't tried them with the "extras", you're really missing out. This is "vacation food" - calories and fat content are not being considered!! Simple, incredible flavor, somewhat decadent.....
[Tom & June]
Ingredients to build 4 Blue Ridge Mountain Bleu Cheese Burgers -



First, always start with the freshest, finest ingredients ~
1 lb ground beef (extra lean is better for you but 75% has much better flavor)
1 - 5-7 oz package crumbled bleu cheese (we like Treasure Cave) - add more if you really love bleu cheese
1 medium onion (when in Georgia a Vidalia is a must)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Avocado
4 Slices thick bacon
4 French (deli-style) buns

Saute onion until translucent and let cool. Mix ground beef, bleu cheese, onion, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper & Worcestershire. Make into 4 burgers. Better if made ahead and allowed to blend.

Grill to desired doneness.

While grilling the burgers, cook bacon until crispy. You can grill the bacon if you like - on aluminum pan or foil or just grill if you're feeling brave.

Toast the buns for a little crunch.

Build your Mountain Burger - Toasted Bun, Burger, Bacon, Avocado, Top of the Mountain Bun.

Extra condiments are up to you but this has great flavors on it's own! YUM!


We served this with grilled sweet potatoes. Just added a little butter/brown sugar glaze and grilled.