When my family gets together, we usually dine on something super fancy and delicious. My mother recently went out of the way to say that it didn’t need to be rack of lamb every time we visited. For Father’s Day she suggested a more laid back cookout with some burgers on the grill. Unfortunately, I can never go halfway, so I took the lead on the burgers and ended up making two different kinds of gourmet patties for the event.
The first burger that I made was a Napa Valley Cabernet Burger. It was an easy recipe to make. It certainly wasn’t as easy as just forming some beef into patties, but it wasn’t too time consuming. It involved cooking down a bottle of cab with some shallots. Then you mix it in with the beef and make patties. Per the recipe, I made a rosemary butter and served the burgers with some extra sharp cheddar melted on top, and fresh tomato slices.
The second burger was a Greek Lamb Burger with Spinach and Red Onion Salad. This recipe was even easier than the cab burgers, as it pretty much consisted of just adding some fresh mint, cinnamon, and paprika to ground lamb. There is also a simple salad of red onion, baby spinach, and feta cheese that goes on top on the burgers.
So … which burger was the star of the party? Well, to be honest, both of the burgers were good. The rosemary butter really made the cab burgers. I was hoping for a richer wine flavor though. The lamb burger, on the other hand, was near perfection. The mint and cinnamon added some great flavor to the already flavorful lamb. The salad on top of the burger was great too, especially the feta. Feta can make just about any sandwich better.
So there you have it. The next time you’re looking for something other than your normal, run of the mill beef patty, try a nice lamb burger with some fresh mint in it.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Jun 23, 2009 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
