We’ve been refining our ground lamb burgergame since the very beginning of this blog, trying all kinds of different breads, sauces, and types of vegetables, searching for the perfect way to translate flavorful lamb into burger form. It’s harder than it sounds; lamb has a tendency to dry out, so in addition to being careful not to overcook it, we always try to pair our lamb burgers with plenty of tangy, creamy sauce, to save the day if the lamb does happen to get a little overdone.
One of our favorite new shortcuts to lamb burger bliss is to mix up one of four varieties of Mezzetta Everything Spread (it comes in Garlic & Parmesan, Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil, Olive, Garlic & Parmesan and Hot Chili Pepper varieties) with equal parts mayonnaise. Boom: Instant burger topping, that oozes into all the nooks and crannies of your griddled patty.
What else are we using to top our Greek-style lamb burger? A few cucumber curls and a fat slice of red onion provide a nice base for the lamb burger to rest on, and then we carve a thick slab of feta to go on top. And of course, we spread our Mezzetta Olive, Garlic, and Parmesan mayo on both sides of the butter-toasted bun.
Finally! No more prep work! A busy weeknight dinner, without sacrificing flavor in exchange for a quick meal. Every jar of Mezzetta Everything Spread is packed with flavor and can be used in…well…everything! Just mix it, toss it, blend it, stir it, spread it, top it or dip it!
- 1-1/2 pounds of ground lamb
- 1 bunch of Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 Kaiser or hamburger rolls
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons Mezzetta Everything Spread (Olive, Garlic, and Parmesan)
- 4 slices red onion
- 1 cucumber, shaved into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
- 4 thick slices feta cheese
- 2 cups washed arugula
- In a bowl, combine ground lamb, garlic, and parsley. Mix well to combine, then divide equally into four bun-sized burger patties. Press into the middle of each one with the palm of your hand, leaving an indentation so that the burgers won't inflate and shrink as they cook. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
- In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and Mezzetta Everything Spread. Stir well and set aside.
- In a cast iron skillet over high heat, warm olive oil until it almost starts to smoke. Cook burgers for three minutes per side, or until brown and well-crusted. Remove from pan and allow to rest while you prepare the burgers.
- For each burger, spread both sides of bun with Mezzetta and mayo blend. Top bottom bun with a slice of onion, followed by the shaved cucumbers. Top with a lamb burger patty, then a slice of feta, a half a cup of arugula, then the top half of the bun. Serve immediately.
The good people at Mezzetta are giving away a GINORMOUS gift basket of Mezzetta products to one lucky From Away reader. To enter, simply answer the following question in the comments below: “What is your favorite kitchen shortcut?” We’ll pick a winner at random (and if you want another chance to win, you can enter directly on Mezzetta’s website, as well). Good luck!
This lamb burger looks amazing. Back in the olden days when I grew up in Maine, people rarely ate lamb – it was too expensive. I could eat one of your burgers and stand in a queue for seconds.
My favorite kitchen shortcut is using the lasagna noodles that don’t need cooked.
View CommentI like to cook from scratch, but I love the fire-roasted red peppers in a jar. So easy.
I love my smoothies in the morning. I make individual storage bags with my ingredients for the week. Makes it a quick blend.
View CommentMy favorite kitchen shortcut is using the great already flavored mayonaises and mustards for my salads and other dishes. No other spices needed, so it saves time.
View CommentI like to juice and freeze small portions of limes and lemons so if I need it for a recipe or cocktails, I know I always have some on hand.
View CommentMy kitchen prep tip is to all the pre-work done in advance. Today is Easter…and I have everything freshly washed, chopped and ready to go later in the day. Since we’re having lamb, I wish I’d read this post before I shopped and picked up a Mezzetta product or two.
View CommentI have to admit I use the jar of minced garlic often. There are many times when fresh garlic is the only way to go, but for many dishes where the garlic is just one of many layers the minced stuff works great and is way easier than peeling and chopping a head of garlic.
View CommentIt’s not really a ‘shortcut’, but I always make a mise en place… makes cooking & baking so much easier. And what could be considered a shortcut is that I use my pressure cooker for dried beans.
View CommentMy favorite kitchen shortcut is fully taking advantage of the microwave to par-cook ingredients!
View CommentI use Minors soup bases to flavor dishes and make stock. So many dishes call for chicken or beef broth or stock, which can be pricey. A scoop of Minors soup base in hot water saves money and space in my cabinets!
View Commentmy shortcut is making crockpot freezer meals, just defrost over night and cook all day on low
View CommentWhen I’m feeling lazy I combine a jar of store-bought marinara and a can of white clam sauce – instant red clam sauce!
View CommentI like to cook double batches and freeze the extra.
View CommentI like using bagged salads. While it might be a little more expensive, it’s less trouble which means I’ll tend to eat a healthier quick meal if they’re in the fridge. I also keep a bag of frozen chicken breasts in the freezer and defrost one or two each night for the next day. I throw them on my indoor grill and add them to the salad.
View CommentMy favorite kitchen short cut is making frozen crock pot meals !
View CommentOn foods that store well, we cook several batches at once and refrigerate or freeze the rest. Rice in particular is easy to do this with because it otherwise takes 20 minutes to cook it.
View CommentDelete my previous comment –autocorrect changed it to Marzetti – when I typed Mezzetta — this garlic and parmesan everything spread is what I use a great deal of. http://www.mezzetta.com/our-products/detail/garlic-parmesan-everything-spread
View CommentI mash bananas in a baggie
View CommentUse Trader Joe’s frozen basil cubes in place of fresh basil. So quick and so much cheaper in the winter months than buying fresh basil.
View CommentKitchen shortcut: freezing lemons (which are in abundance this time of year in my exile in AZ). Easy to grate rind, and can thaw quickly to juice.
View CommentMy favorite shortcut is putting potatoes in the microwave a w minutes and finishing them in the oven.
View CommentMy favorite kitchen shortcut is using a ziplock bag in the place of a pastry bag. Nip a corner and use. No cleanup necessary.
View CommentMy mini food processor is my favorite kitchen shortcut, hands down!
View Commentmy favorite kitchen shortcut is using the minced garlic in a jar. even though i do prefer fresh, the jar is so much easier!
View CommentI love the squeezable spice blends in a tube. Great when you just need a hint of cilantro or oregano but want that fresh, not dried, flavor.
View CommentMy favorite kitchen shortcut? After years of beating everything by hand, or hand mixer, I LOVE my Kitchenaid and use it all the time!
View CommentWhen I need to cut up chicken, I’ll put it in the freezer for about 15 mins. It make cubing it much easier. Same with steak, I’ll use steak to make beef stew instead of pre-cut stew beef, and I find freezing it quickly first gets a more even cut.
View CommentMy favorite kitchen shortcut is cooking a large batch of brown rice and freezing it in meal-sized portions. I use Alton Brown’s baked brown rice recipe which makes enough for 2 or 3 meals, and it comes out perfect every time.
View CommentThat lamb burger looks scrumdiddlyuptious. Robin and I were just arguing about which ground meat is better; she likes turkey but I prefer pork or lamb—we agreed to disagree. Thanks for the chance to win!
My favorite kitchen shortcut is buying pre-made sauces!
View CommentMy favorite kitchen shortcut is using no-boil lasagna noodles.
View Commentwhen I’m making something that needs sauteeing or adding lots of ingredients in steps – say first cabbage, then five minutes later, carrots, then five minutes later something else, etc.
I get a big bowl, prep the first thing and put it in, then saran wrap, prep the next things things that go in at the same time, then saran, and on an on as needed. minimizes dirty dishes and your mis en place is all set up!
View CommentMy most recently used kitchen shortcut was to “finely chop” walnuts and pecans by putting them in a ziploc baggie and hitting it with a mallet. 😀
View CommentThe frozen cubes of garlic from Trader Joes ( In some other stores also) ! No added ingredients, just pure fresh garlic that’s been frozen into cubes for easy and quick garlic use!
View CommentBagged salad! I hate to wash lettuce and spinach….plus it keeps me eating salad more often.
View CommentWondering if you’ve picked a winner yet? Thanks.
View CommentMy favorite kitchen shortcut is putting all of my onion, carrot, and celery scraps in plastic bags in the freezer, so when I have some chicken or turkey bones, all I have to do is empty the bags into the pot to get some stock simmering.
View Commenti love cutting extra veggies for snack
View CommentI use a super thin cheese grater to crush garlic. My garlic plate broke and I found this worked just as well.
View Comment