The other day I picked up some ground lamb that was on sale to make some burgers. I also had some leftover goat cheese that I wanted to put to good use. Now that football season is here (let the tailgating feasts begin!) I remembered seeing a recipe for lamb burgers stuffed with goat cheese that sounded great to me. I couldn’t recall where I saw the recipe, so I searched the Internet and ran across a recipe on Allrecipes.com by LeeleeCooks that I tweaked some for my taste.

This is by far the best lamb burger I have ever had. I’ve used feta cheese in lamb burgers before, but I have to say — move over feta; hello goat cheese (actually I guess you could use feta cheese as a topping, because like shoes and chocolate, you can’t ever have enough cheese!) Anyway, what a fantastic combination of flavors with the distinct taste of the lamb, the tangy creaminess of the goat cheese and the infusion of fresh herbs and garlic. Heaven on a bun (or a pita)!

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3  cup diced sweet onion
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup fresh bread crumbs (use bread that’s a couple of days old)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 10-12  fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• 1 sprig rosemary leaves, finely chopped
• 8-10 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
• 2-3 ounces soft goat cheese (I used herb-garlic flavored)
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Oregano (optional)

Preparation

Heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions and garlic for 4-5 minutes until the onions start to caramelize.

Place the lamb, sautéed onions and garlic, egg, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix together well.

Gently fold the fresh herbs into the lamb mixture.

Divide the mixture into 4 even-sized balls and refrigerate until ready to use.

Mix the goat cheese, olive oil and oregano and refrigerate for 5-10 minutes.

Preheat the grill at medium-high heat.

Make an indentation in the center of each ball and fill with the goat cheese mixture. Pull the meat around the cheese filling, making sure the cheese is completely sealed inside the meat.

Flatten each of the balls into patties, again making sure the cheese cannot escape.

Grill the patties to desired temperature (135 degrees for rare, 160 degrees for medium and 165 degrees for well done.)

Serve this like a traditional burger on a bun with your choice of toppings and sides.

Or, you can place the burger in pita bread and add fresh tzatziki sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, etc., with a garbanzo bean and olive salad and/or a mayo-free potato salad on the side. Be on the lookout for upcoming posts on the tzatziki and salads, all of which are easy to make and delicious.

If you love lamb like I do, check out my previous blogs: Lamb Two Ways, Kel’s Incredible Irish Stew and Kel’s Traditional Shepherd’s Pie. But definitely make these goat cheese stuffed burgers – your taste buds will do a happy dance!

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!