Lamb Burgers with Sweet Pepper Relish
Recipe by Amy Maltzan, adapted from Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazines
Labor Day cometh. Which means one last “official” weekend of grilling (even though I don’t really see any reason to stop grilling, even in the dead of winter–barring a blizzard, of course!) This summer we’ve been wild about these lamb burgers with sweet pepper relish, and I figured I should probably share them with you (finally!) before summer sings its sweet swan song.
For the burgers:
1 large shallot, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 3/4 pounds ground lamb
For the relish:
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
2 orange or red bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup raisins
1 apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
For serving:
burger buns (whatever you like, or you can go whole hog and make your own!)
feta cheese, crumbled (optional–and if you do use this, I like a softer, creamy kind of feta if you can find it.)
Make the burgers. Stir shallot, mint, garlic, salt, black pepper, paprika, and cumin in large bowl to blend. Add lamb and mix gently to combine. Shape mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick patties. (You can make these ahead and chill them.)
Make the relish. Bring vinegar and sugar to a boil in a 2-quart nonreactive heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil, uncovered, 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and simmer briskly, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until peppers and apple are tender, about 25 minutes.
To serve, grill burgers (or pan-fry them, whatever you like.) Serve each burger on a bun topped with the sweet pepper relish and a crumbling of feta cheese.
Photo by Amy Maltzan
