Kyle Oliver
This Delicious Gluten Free Spiced Lamb Burger with Tzatziki inspired Aioli is a perfect spring meal. Spiced, herbaceous and balanced, a sure winner at any BBQ.
This Delicious Gluten Free Spiced Lamb Burger came to me on a whim. I was at the grocery store and ground lamb was on sale, so I grabbed some not knowing what I was going to do with it. The lamb went in my fridge and I kept thinking about what to do. I don’t eat a lot of lamb; I like it, but I just don’t often get it. So I wasn’t sure where to go with it. But I knew whatever I did with it needed mint. Mint and lamb is a classic combination, as perfectly described by America’s Test Kitchen in this blog post.
In the post they describe the chemical relationship between mint and lamb. If you are nerdy like me, it is absolutely worth the read. I probably thought this was a little to fascinating.If you are not nerdy like me and do not want to read why. The gist is, that both mint and lamb contain chemicals that are similar and complimentary of each other. There is a scientific reason for this pairing.
Well, that still didn’t tell me what I wanted to do with lamb. The next day I wanted a burger. So I thought, why not make it a lamb burger! And this recipe was born! I knew I needed an aioli and figured, why not put the mint in the aioli? Well, I had a couple other herbs at that time. So I threw them all into the aioli, and it was delicious. I spooned it onto the burger while eating. Then I figured I needed a cocktail pairing with mint, to further emphasize the pairing. So the Delicious Gluten Free Spiced Lamb Burger was born. Give this Delicious Gluten Free Spiced Lamb Burger and Mint and Cucumber Gin Fizz a try. It is a perfect and mostly healthy way to spend burger night.
Delicious Gluten Free Spiced Lamb Burger Recipe Notes & Substitutions
Ground Lamb– The star of the show is the lamb. This recipe uses ground lamb for the burger. If you want to make your own ground lamb, by all means do so but I bought ground lamb. If you do not like lamb, but still want to try this you can substitute ground turkey, ground chicken, ground beef or ground bison. These will not have the gamey flavor of lamb, so it will be a bit different. However, all these options will still be delicious.
Za’atar– Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend of a couple different ingredients including thyme, marjoram, oregano, sesame seeds and other spices. I love stocking different spices in my kitchen, so i often have some cool spice blends. I actually had a fresh made Za’atar from my friend and it was increidble in the recipe! If you do not have or can’t find Za’atar, there are a couple spices you can use. For simple just add some oregano in its place. To get a little fancier add 1/4 thyme and 3/4 oregano, for even fancier add some toasted sesame seeds. If you want to read more on Za’atar, check out this post by The Spruce Eats for a great description and homemade recipe.
Herbs– There are quite a few fresh herbs in this recipe. I think they are all necessary and delicious. However, if you do not want to use as many fresh herbs and only want to buy one, make sure it is fresh mint. Mint is a necessary herb in this dish (MUST BE FRESH MINT). Feel free to use dried dill in place of fresh dill. I love parsley and use the Italian flat leaf Parsley, but feel free to leave it out. But again, do not leave out the mint.
Tzatziki Aioli– I originally thought to use yogurt in this Tzatziki inspired aioli. But, I love the extra fat content of mayo, so I went mayo. Feel free to sub in yogurt, it will still be awesome! If doing this I would however half the lemon juice and add some olive oil to the dressing to up the richness. Make sure you paste the garlic too so no one bites into a burst of raw garlic.
Toppings– Use whatever you want! I went with raw red onion, tomato, Persian cucumber and alfalfa sprouts. But use whatever you like! Feta and lettuce would be amazing on this.
Paleo Option– Make it a lettuce wrap for a paleo option and then make sure you use paleo approved mayo for the aioli. Everything else you are good to go!
Vegan Option– For a meat-free option I would use a plant based meat like Impossible Burger or Beyond Meat and then mix in some minced mushroom into the meat to bring up the umami flavor of the patty. Lamb has more gamey flavor so adding mushrooms will help bring out more of the savory flavor you would need to mimic the lamb.
Drink Pairings– Mint and Cucumber Gin Fizz, Mojito, Carmenere, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Gamay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc.
Delicious Gluten Free Spiced Lamb Burger
Ingredients
Burger Patty
- 1 lbs Lamb
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Za'atar
- 1 tsp Mustard
- 1 tbsp Parsley
- 1 tbsp Mint
- 1.5 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Tzatziki Aoli
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1-2 cloves Pasted Garlic
- 1/2 tsp Lemon Zest
- 1/4 cup Mayo
- 2 tbsp Mint
- 2 tbsp Dill
- 1 tbsp Parsley
- Salt and Pepper
Toppings
- Cucumber
- Tomato
- Lettuce
- Bread
- Red Onion
- Feta
Instructions
- Add the lamb, salt, za'atar, parsley, mint, mustard and pepper in a bowl. Mix and then set aside until ready to grill.
Make the Aioli
- Paste the garlic but finely mincing the garlic. Then sprinkle with a pinch of salt and use the back side of a knife blade to created a smooth paste. Place in a bowl with the lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix and let sit for 1 minute. This helps soften the garlic.
- Then add the mayo, mint, dill, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix to combine, taste for seasoning (is it lacking something? Add a little more salt. Is it flat or not bright? Add a little more lemon juice. Need more pepper, mint, parsley or dill? Add it!). Once seasoned to liking, set aside.
- Preheat the grill. Divide the lamb meat into 4 balls and flatten into burger patties. Once the grill is pre-heated, brush the grates with oil and grill the burgers for about 4 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature is 145oF, do not over cook it will become dry and tough. Remove and let rest for 2 minutes. While sitting, toast bread on the grill if desired.
- To assemble: Place the aioli on the bread, then add the burger on top and any toppings you wish. Serve with the Mint and Cucumber Gin Fizz and enjoy!
