Recipe Friday: Mmmm Burger

Ohh, burgers. Any food you literally cradle in your hands has to be special—and May just so happens to be National Burger Month. And, um, hello. It's grilling season!

Here are a handful of burger recipes from Aussie Beef & Lamb to get your Memorial weekend started off right! 

The Great Aussie Burger

Yield: 2

Ingredients

12 oz ground Australian lamb
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 ea. small onion, finely diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 T olive oil
2 ea. slices cheddar cheese

To serve

2 ea. hamburger buns, split and toasted
Butter
2 ea. lettuce leaves
1 ea. tomato, sliced
4 ea. slices pickled beets
Pineapple, thinly sliced
Tomato ketchup
4 ea. bacon strips
2 ea. eggs

Method

1. Place the lamb, garlic, onion in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix together. Using clean hands, massage the burger mix until combined. Shape the mixture into two patties, place on a plate, cover and refrigerate up to 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Heat oil in a large, non-stick fry pan over medium heat. Cook the patties for 3 minutes on each side or until almost cooked through.
3. Transfer to a baking sheet and top each patty with a slice of cheese. Place in the oven for 3-5 minutes or until cheese melts. While cheese is melting, cook bacon and eggs in fry pan.

Assembly

Spread the hamburger bun base with butter then layer lettuce, tomato, beets, lamb patty, pineapple, tomato ketchup, bacon and egg. Cover with bun tops and serve.

Red Wine Burger

Yield: 4

Ingredients

1 ½ lb Aussie ground beef
1 ½ cups red wine
1 ea. shallot, minced
3 T butter
1 T brown sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
4 ea. burger buns
4 ea. slices of your favorite cheese
8 ea. large tomato slices
Lettuce

Method

1. Boil wine and shallots in medium saucepan until reduced by half, 20-30 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon butter and brown sugar; whisk until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Mix remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Set aside.
2. Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Mix beef, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup wine-shallot mixture in bowl. Form meat into four burger patties. Grill burgers until brown on bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn burgers and brush with additional wine-shallot mixture. Continue grilling burgers until cooked to desired doneness, turning and brushing occasionally with wine-shallot mixture, about 4 minutes longer for medium-rare. Top with a slice of cheese and remove from grill.
3. Grill the buns, cut sides down, until lightly browned. Top bottom buns with burgers, then tomato slices and lettuce. Cover with top buns and serve immediately.

Mediterranean Lamb Burger

Yield: 4

Ingredients

1 lb lean Australian ground lamb
4 ea. green onions, finely chopped
1 T ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
2 T semi-dried tomatoes, chopped
Olive oil for brushing
4 ea. multigrain rolls, halved horizontally
3 oz baby arugula leaves
⅓ cup hummus
2 T semi-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 tsp flat parsley leaves

Method

1. Place the ground lamb in a bowl and add the chopped green onion, cumin, oregano and chopped semi-dried tomatoes. Form into 4 patties and refrigerate 1 hour. Heat a barbecue or char grill pan. Brush the patties with oil and cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked to your liking.
2. While the burgers are cooking, lightly barbecue the rolls. Then top the bottom half of each roll with ¼ of the arugula leaves and a cooked burger. Spoon a tablespoon of hummus on top of the burger and scatter with ¼ of the thinly sliced semi-dried tomatoes and ¼ of the parsley leaves. Finish with the top half of the roll.

Grilled Harissa Aussie Lamb Burger

Yield: 6

Ingredients for the roasted tomato aioli

1 ea. large Roma tomato, charred on grill
2 garlic cloves, charred on grill
½ cup mayonnaise
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Ingredients for the harissa lamb burgers

1 ½ lbs ground Australian lamb
2 T harissa paste
1 ea. shallot, finely chopped
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
4. ea. brioche buns

For garnish

Crumbled feta cheese
Arugula or your favorite green
Sliced tomato
Red onion, sliced thin
Cucumbers, sliced thin

Method

1. For the roasted tomato aioli: Once all the garlic & tomatoes have been charred & cooled, place them in a blender with mayonnaise and season it to taste with salt & pepper. Set aside for the burger.
2. For the lamb burgers: Take the ground lamb in a large bowl add the harissa and shallot and mix together. Begin to form them into 6 ounce patties and season both sides with salt and pepper. Cook the patties for about 4 to 6 minutes on each side, for a medium rare burger.
3. To assemble: Take a brioche bun and toast it on the grill if you like, then add the roasted tomato aioli. Add the lamb patty to the bottom bun and add arugula, fetta, onions and cucumbers add the top and enjoy.

Tikka Masala Burger

Yield: 4

Ingredients for Tikka Masala Burger

1 lb Australian grassfed ground beef
1 T mild curry powder
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Combine the beef, curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl and mix well.
2. Form into ¼-pound patties and refrigerate until ready to use.

Dill-lemon yogurt

1 cup juiced lemon
1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 T chopped fresh dill leaves
1 tsp chopped fresh mint leaves
½ crumbled feta cheese

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Keep at room temperature if using immediately, or refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Bring up to room temperature before using, as this will prevent the sauce from chilling your burger when garnishing.

Garnish

4 ea. split potato buns each
4 ea. pieces thinly sliced tomato
12 ea. pieces thinly sliced, rinsed red onion
2 cups shredded romaine hearts
4 T store-bought tikka masala sauce

To prepare

1. Preheat a skillet over HIGH heat. Add the burger patties and press with a spatula to form a crust during cooking.
2. Cook until browned on the bottom, then flip the burgers and continue cooking to the desired doneness (3-4 minutes per side for medium rare, 5-6 minutes for medium, 6+ for well done).
3. Remove the burgers from the pan and add the burger buns, cut-sides down; toast until golden, about 1 minute.
4. Build your burger in the following order: Potato bun bottom, 1 tablespoon tikka masala sauce, 1 hamburger patty, 1 tomato slice, 3 onion slices, and ½ cup shredded lettuce.
5. Spread 1 tablespoon dill-lemon yogurt on the potato bun top and put it on the burger. Serve immediately with your favorite side dish.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Aussie Grassfed Burgers with Fig Jam and Fresh Spinach

Yield: 2

Ingredients for Burger

1 ½ lbs Aussie grassfed ground beef
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked pepper
8 T crumbled goat cheese
4 T Fig Jam (recipe below)
2 cups fresh baby spinach
Balsamic vinaigrette
4 ea. whole wheat buns
4 T olive oil

Method

1. Lightly mix the beef with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Divide into 6 ounce portions and divide each portion into equal parts. Flatten out each half.
2. Place 1 tablespoon goat cheese in the center of one half and place the second half on top. Gently form into a patty and seal. Brush the inside of the buns with olive oil and grill. Cook the burgers to medium rare.
3. Dress the spinach in balsamic vinaigrette.

Ingredients for Fig Jam

6 oz (about 22 ea. whole) dried Mission figs, stems removed and chopped into small pieces
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Juice from one lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Method

1. In a medium saucepan combine figs, sugar, water, and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 7 minutes, until the liquid thickened.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar. Let mixture cool (at least 10 minutes).
3. Transfer to a food processor and puree until smooth. 

To Assemble

1. Place spinach on the bottom bun and top with burger.
2. Spread fig jam on burger. Crumble on 1 tablespoon of goat cheese and add top bun.

Moroccan Lamb Sliders

Yield: 10

Ingredients

1 ½ ground Australian lamb
½ cup parsley, finely chopped
8 oz can garbanzo beans, mashed
2 T Moroccan seasoning
5 ea. dried apricots, finely diced
1 ea. egg

Ingredients for coating

½ cup sesame seeds
2 T poppy seeds
1 tsp Moroccan seasoning
¼ cup pistachio nuts, finely chopped

Ingredients to Serve

Mini-buns, toasted
Grilled peppers, pumpkin and eggplant
Baby spinach leaves
Hummus dip

Method

1. In a large bowl, combine the ground lamb, parsley, garbanzo beans, Moroccan spice, dried apricots and egg.
2. Work the mixture well and shape into small 2-ounce patties approximately 2-3 inches round.
3. Blend the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, seasoning and pistachio nuts together in a small bowl and coat sliders well with the mixture.
4. Brush the surface of the grill or fry pan with a little oil and cook sliders on medium heat 4 minutes on each side. Remove and keep warm.
5. Spread a little hummus on the base of the bun and top with baby spinach leaves. Cover leaves with a Lamb slider, top with warm grilled vegetables and replace the crown. Serve warm for any occasion.