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Lamb Burgers

By December 31, 2020January 12th, 2021No Comments
Lamb burgers with Yogurt sauce

 

Happy New Year Friends! 

Although most of us are ready to chuck 2020 out the window and start anew, I took a moment to reflect on what I did appreciate about the year in the form of Top 10 Lists.  (I LOVE LISTS!)  From today until forever, I’m going to refer to 2020 as the HARDEST year ever  instead of the WORST year ever.  In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you’re looking forward to most in the year ahead!  

And if you feel like cooking today, I’m resharing a recipe for my Lamb Burgers from The Anti-Inflammation Cookbook (Chronicle Books), which seem to hit the spot with everyone around here.  I do add ground pork to the recipe as well, which balances the flavor of the lamb.  

Sending you all love, light, and prosperity in the new year!  

Drum roll please…. Oh, and p.s. These lists are in no particular order.  

Amanda’s Favorite “Amanda Haas Cooks” Recipes-These are all on my website , except for my ribs.  You can find a million great rib recipes over at traegergrills.com. 

  1. Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
  2. Curry Roasted Cauliflower 
  3. Any of my tacos
  4. A16 Meatballs
  5. Chocolate Coconut Brownies (GF of course)
  6. Green Papaya Salad
  7. Ribs
  8. Moroccan Chicken with Roasted Root Vegetables- COMING SOON.
  9. Lamb Burgers with Pickled Onions 
  10. Maple-Brined Spatchcocked Turkey

Favorite Creatives to Follow on Instagram-some are already famous.  Some you’ll thank me later for. 

  1. Jennifer Garner-she’s the modern woman everyone wants to be.  Generous, funny, self-deprecating, gorgeous, wildly talented, and most importantly an absolutely beautiful human being who gives her time and energy to other people. 
  2. Katie Couric-Katie is crushing life right now.  Thanks to Katie’s wonderful take on life, ageism can be a thing of the past.  She is living life to its fullest, and it shines through in everything she does. 
  3. Jen Hatmaker-I love this woman’s honesty, courage, humor, and purpose here on planet Earth.
  4. Kelly Corrigan-Follow her on Instagram.  Subscribe to her podcast.  Watch her on PBS.  She will change your life.
  5. The Shoe Surgeon-Show me a person who has fulfilled their dreams as well as Dominic Ciambrone has.  He is the master of his trade, only because he set his mind to it and went for it.
  6. Benjamin Uyeda-I can’t understand how people can be this creative.  Need a little home DIY inspo?  Follow Ben and prepare to be blown away. 
  7. Trevor Noah @thedailyshow-Although he is from South Africa, I am convinced Trevor was put on earth to move to the U.S. to act as a translator/interpreter for the wild ride this country has embarked upon.  No one breaks it down like Trevor and his team can.  I find myself laughing hysterically yet learning a tremendous amount no matter what they’re up to! 
  8. Tristan Harris  from “The Social Dilemma.” Just watch the movie, then follow him.  Prepare to have your brain explode.
  9. Hueman-Allison is one of the greatest artists of our time, and I will forever be obsessed with her work. 
  10. Julius Thomas 3-Forever known as Alexander Hamilton to me, you can listen to his beautiful voice singing all kinds of music.  He lights up a stage, a room, and your car stereo…

My Favorite Songs -For some reason I found myself rockin’ out mostly to nasty rap with my kids or singing acoustic love songs to myself when alone.  I also found a lot in between to sing at the top of my lungs. 

  1. Lil’ Baby-Bigger Picture. So poignant.
  2. Godzilla-Eminem. Show me someone else who can rap this fast.  It is INCREDIBLE! 
  3. Uproar-I love rap, and I’ve learned to accept curse words in songs if they’re not aimed at someone.  In the case of this song, I can’t help but sing “What the f— though? Where’d the love go?  5-4-3-2 I Iet one go. 
  4. Sweet Home Alabama
  5. They Don’t Know-Rico Love featuring Ludacris.  (No apologies for loving this completely nasty song.) 
  6. Free Fallin’-John Mayer Live in Los Angeles
  7. I Like Me Better-Lauv (Cheat Codes Remix) 
  8. Titanium Acoustic Cover-Collin McLoughlin
  9. Simply the Best-Noah Reid’s Version from Schitt’s Creek
  10. Under Pressure-Queen and David Bowie-Try not to sing the beat.   

Best TV Shows-Let’s be clear… “The Office” is on repeat around here, and we watch the last episode any time we need a good cry, so it can’t be on my list.  These are shows I finally watched this year that contain some of the best acting I’ve ever witnessed. 

  1. Ted Lasso-unequivocally the best new comedy of the year.  Jason Sudeikis is brilliant, as is Brett Goldstein and every other member of the cast.  Watch it all, then watch it again.  You’re welcome.
  2. Black AF-a super strong second place in my book!  I laughed out loud the entire time, yet they managed to teach me and my boys so much about inherent racism and slavery. 
  3. Schitt’s Creek
  4. Killing Eve
  5. The Crown
  6. The New Pope/The Young Pope-Jude Law.  John Malkovich.  Perfect television.
  7. Space Force
  8. The Social Dilemma-Mind Blown
  9. RBG Documentary-Mind Blown Times Three.
  10. My Octopus Teacher-I think I’m going to stop eating octopus after this brilliant film.
  11. The Offspring-a fabulous Australian show I just started!

Best Trends to Carry Into 2021

  1. Giving a crap about others
  2. Sober/Soberish Living (#hangoversareso2020) 
  3. Meditation
  4. Forgiveness
  5. Spontaneous dancing
  6. Laughter
  7. Giving While Living
  8. Kindness
  9. Spending time in nature
  10. Getting off our damn phones

Amanda’s 2021 Aspirations- The word “resolution”  implies we must get rid of our current actions in order to better ourselves.  I like the word aspiration much more. It’s more positive! 

  1. Improve my health.
  2. Fall in love with my equal. Considering I’m not into online dating, I’m taking references from very close friends. 😉
  3. Help eradicate childhood hunger.  
  4. Fully execute on my business and financial goals.
  5. Practice self compassion.
  6. TRAVEL with my children to a new and exciting destination as soon as we can! Copenhagen? Paris? Florence? Hawaii?
  7. Ignore the voice in my head that holds me back from bringing all of my dreams to life.
  8. Write another cookbook. 
  9. Write an inspirational book on how I’ve learned to create my own happy life.
  10. Launch my own line of foods to give everyone in America access to better eating. 

Things I Liked About 2020

  1. Watching people of every color, age, and orientation show up for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and everyone else who suffered so tremendously this year.
  2. Seeing how people all over the world thanked medical teams for their enormous efforts during this pandemic. 
  3. Watching people sing, exercise, and play instruments together from different balconies in order to feel connected during isolation.
  4. The good side of social media. Jennifer Garner and her “pretend cooking show,” Katie Couric interviewing every badass on the planet from Dr. Fauci to Ina Garten. Those two little boys running to greet each other on the sidewalk.  (You know the ones.) 
  5. Getting time back with my children that I never thought I’d have.  In some ways, it was magical.  
  6. Having permission to stay home day after day and night after night. 
  7. Proving to myself that I’m a fighter.  I got my own business up and running and created new avenues of income.  I can rely on myself! 
  8. Meeting my neighbors on one of many walks around the hood.
  9. Giving the planet a break with limited travel. 
  10. Getting a health diagnosis that finally made sense!

Favorite Kitchen Tools to Kick Off a Healthy 2020-You can find most of these things in my SHOP at www.amandahaascooks.com . I’ll be talking about how I use all of these things throughout the year! 

  1. Microplane 
  2. Oxo Peeler and Slicer/Dicer thingy
  3. Fish Spatula
  4. Citrus Press 
  5. Dutch Oven
  6. Hestan Essential Pan
  7. Breville anything
  8. Tongs! 
  9. Traeger Grill
  10. Sustainable, Organic Meat from Belcampo Meat Co.
Lamb burgers with Yogurt sauce

Lamb Burgers

Amanda Haas
Lamb burgers once were something I liked to order when eating out but rarely prepared at home. Now I’m hooked on my homemade version. Loaded with fresh herbs and a few dried spices, the lamb mixture can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator all day before cooking in a cast-iron skillet or on a grill. I use a little pork to mellow the lamb flavor and add some extra fat to the mixture. I skip the bun and serve the burgers on a bed of greens with herbed yogurt sauce, but the burgers can be served on traditional buns, if you like.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

Pickled Onions

  • ½ red onion thinly sliced
  • 6 tbsp lime juice
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp raw cane sugar

Herbed Yogurt Sauce

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped mixed herbs such as dill, parsley, and mint
  • Kosher salt

Lamb Burgers

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ red onion finely diced
  • 1 lb ground lamb
  • 8 oz ground pork
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped mint
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped dill
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • Mixed greens, sliced tomatoes (optional if nightshade-sensitive), and sliced cucumbers for serving

Instructions
 

  • To make the pickled onions: Place the onion, lime juice, salt, and sugar in a small bowl. Stir to combine, cover, and let sit at room temperature for about 2 hours to soften. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • To make the herbed yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, herbs, and 1/2 tsp salt. Adjust the salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, or for up to 2 days.
  • To make the lamb burgers: In a small skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a small plate to cool.
  • In a large bowl, combine the lamb, pork, mint, dill, parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and cooled onions. Gently mix with your hands. Do not overwork the meat. Divide the mixture into six equal balls. Press into patties and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. (If not cooking immediately, cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.)
  • Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Working in batches, sear the burgers until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare, or about 5 minutes per side for well-done. Alternatively, prepare a grill for cooking over medium-high heat. Lightly grease the grill grate. Place the burgers on the grill, and cook, turning once, to reach desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare, or about 5 minutes per side for well-done.
  • Transfer the burgers to a plate to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Top with a generous dollop of herbed yogurt sauce and some pickled onions. Add greens and sliced tomatoes or cucumbers. Serve immediately.

Notes

How to season burger patties: Seasoning meat well is so important. Many times we under-or overseason, then cook the meat and are left with no chance of improving it. Before shaping my patties, I heat a small skillet and cook a test patty, about 1 in [2.5 cm] in diameter, to check for flavor. I adjust the salt and spices if necessary before I form all the patties and cook them.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!