Healthy Living How To

Vanessa Rae Romero

Lamb Burgers with Crumbled Goat Feta, Sun Dried Tomatoes & Olives

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We have 100# of grass fed, grass finished beef in our freezer, delivered over the weekend, and we have yet to taste it. The reason is I had taken our last package of frozen New Zealand ground lamb out of the freezer and it was thawed in the refrigerator for a few days. We didn't want it to go bad, so we had to delay digging in to our beef supply and instead enjoyed these amazingly juicy, and oh so very healthy, Lamb Burgers with crumbled goat chese, sun dried tomatoes and olives. If you've never had ground lamb, you have to give this recipe a try. You'll love it, I promise!

Grass fed lamb is an excellent protein source rich in vitamin B12, selenium, niacin, zinc, phosphorus and riboflavin. Lamb offers health benefits similar to those found in grass fed beef and is considered a red meat. One advantage of lamb over beef is it is less allergenic and often used as a protein source in an allergy elimination diet. According to various studies, the meat from grass fed ruminants like lamb, contain more conjugated lineolic acid, vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, beta-carotene and vitamin A, when compared to grain fed animals. Lamb are grazing animals, their natural diet is grass, herbs, forbes and legumes such as alfalfa.

I have to admit, this summer was the first time I have ever tasted lamb. We went out for dinner at a Greek restaurant and my husband got the most glorious lamb chop. It was divine. The very next day we went to Whole Foods and their New Zealand grass fed lamb was on sale, cheaper than the grass fed ground beef, so we loaded up.

I'm a pretty simple chef; we eat lots of just plain meat and vegetables around here. So, I started my search for ways to spice up the ground lamb and make plain ol' lamb burgers. I stumbled on Saveur and was inspired by this recipe. I didn't have any of the fresh herbs on hand so just winged it with the dry spices in my cupboard. Well, let me tell you, there is nothing “plain” about these burgers. They are wonderfully flavorful and very moist! I have since made my version a handful of times and wouldn't you know it, today's recipe features our very last package of ground lamb.

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Lamb Burgers with Crumbled Goat Feta, Sun Dried Tomatoes & Olives

Recipe Inspired by Saveur & Adapted by Healthy Living How To

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. New Zealand Grass Fed Ground Lamb
  • 1 tsp. Dried Parsley
  • 1 tsp. Dried Dill
  • 1 tsp. Dried Oregano
  • 1 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
  • 1 tsp. Coarse Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. Ground Coriander
  • 1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin
  • 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Onion Powder
  • Crumbled Goat Feta
  • Sun Dried Tomatoes
  • Assorted Pitted Olives
  • Salad Greens

Directions

  1. In a mixing bowl add ground lamb and all spices.
  2. Mix with hands and form into 4 equal size patties.
  3. Pan fry in cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat about 4 minutes per side.
  4. Let cooked patties rest and juices redistribute for 5 minutes.
  5. Top with crumbled goat feta, sun dried tomatoes and olives.
  6. Serve over a pile of mixed salad greens.
  7. Enjoy!