Dining Out

Turkish lamb burger

O make moist, juicy burgers use a light touch, handle the mixture gently and don’t make them too compacted. Try this idea with beef mince, vary the bread and salad ingredients to suit what you have on hand too.
Preparation time: 20 minutes l Cook time: 12 minutes
Ingredients
600g lamb mince
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
150g feta, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 egg
1 Turkish bread loaf cut into 6 even pieces
1 medium tub prepared tabouli
salad leaves

Method

  1. Combine the lamb mince, onions, breadcrumbs, feta, garlic, mint and egg. Mix lightly, shape into 6 burgers. Lightly brush the burgers with oil.
  2. Preheat the pan to moderately high. Add burgers to the pan, lower the heat to moderate.
  3. Cook for 5-6 minutes each side or until thoroughly cooked. Turn them once only.
    Slice Turkish bread in half horizontally and grill or toast until lightly browned. Place burgers on the toasted bread with tabouli and salad leaves.
    • Replace the lamb mince with beef mince if you like.
    You can also barbecue the burgers, use either the barbecue char-grill plate or flat plate.
    Burgers should always be thoroughly cooked. Burgers should not be served rare or pink. A good guide is to insert a skewer into the thickest part; if it is ready to eat the juices will be clear.
    Do not store fresh mince any longer than necessary. Refer to use-by-dates for packaged mince and use well within that time. Loose mince is best used within one to two days.