Smash Burgers
Sam Sifton
2587 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
2,587
20 minutes
Spiced Lamb Burgers
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
Yield:4 burgers
- 1½pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into chunks
- 1medium (or ½ large) onion, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1fresh chili, preferably jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 1teaspoon ground coriander
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- ½teaspoon turmeric
- Salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Diced mango to garnish (optional)
- green and red pepper to garnish (optional)
- red onion to garnish (optional)
- scallion to garnish (optional)
- shredded carrot to garnish (optional)
- shredded lettuce, to garnish (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
469 calories; 37 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 29 grams protein; 481 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
If grilling or broiling, heat should be medium-high and rack about 4 inches from fire. Put lamb and onion into a food processor (in batches if your machine is small) and pulse until coarsely ground. Put in a bowl with chili, coriander, cumin and turmeric, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix, handling the meat as little as possible, until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings. Handling meat as lightly as possible to avoid compressing it, shape it into 4 or more burgers.
- Step 2
To broil or grill, cook about 3 minutes on each side for rare and another minute per side for each increasing stage of doneness. For stovetop, heat a large skillet over medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes, then add patties; cook, undisturbed, for about 2 minutes, then rotate them so they brown evenly. Turn once and cook for a total of about 6 minutes for rare.
- Step 3
Garnish with diced mango, green and red pepper, red onion and scallion, and with shredded carrot and lettuce.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Deborah
Why not start with ground lamb?
BP
Proportions are tastier if 1 pound of lamb is used with spices listed.
Karma
Huge hit for an Easter BBQ! Blending the lamb and onions in a food processor seemed bizarre to me, so I did a fine mince on the onion and jalapeno and then just mixed gently. Burgers held together perfectly and there was still a nice crunch from the veggie. The mangos at the market were not ripe, so I made the slaw with purple lettuce, scallion, carrot, and green pepper and dressed with a mango/habanero jam (diluted with water) which was perfect. A perfect blend of heat/spice/sweet!!
Condiment queen
Big hit. Upped the spice level by half per others' suggestions, and served with grilled naan and curry mayo.
Colin
Thank you for confirming the onions don't cook soft in this recipe. I dislike raw onions in my burgers so I think I'll go with onion powder instead, or granulated onion.
theboken
Those who complain that this is not "flavorful" enough are not taste testing their food! This was great - but as with any recipe, you need to season to taste - the type and quality of ingredients will always vary from cook to cook. Take a bit of the meat mixture and fry it in a pan to taste (if you're scared of eating raw meat, that is). Need more heat? Add jalapeño. More depth? Add more cumin / turmeric. More dimension/brightness? Also - a lil avocado was excellent in the mango salsa.
Sarah S.
Increase spices; add worchesterchire, don't forget hot pepper.
Baby Supine
Absolutely not! Although as a young cook, I have tasted raw chicken Gallatin and pate! Big mistake, but got lucky I didn't get sick. Correct practice is to cook a tiny portion in the most convenient way (quickest), taste, and adjust seasoning. Repeat, if necessary, until satisfied (depending on standards and discernment of establishment and chef). Don't eat raw meats - chicken, beef, pork, lamb - pretty much in that order in descending risk.
Tim
Taste and adjust seasoning while the meat mixture is raw? Is this a good practice?
Victoria Corcoran
Ground versus chunks: resulting texture. The food processor incorporates the onion throughout either way. It’s a matter of which texture you’d like to end up with. I think?
Victoria Corcoran
1# lamb Same spices as written Don’t use turmeric A lot of salt and pepper on patties Make patties bit thinner - cooked edge parts are sooo good Served with tzatziki In a burger bun? Whoa. Would be great.
Frances
I toasted my spices before adding, just assumed this was a step, and substituted minced garlic for the onion. And with no Mango in the house I topped with a nice feta. Worked well. This is a versatile recipe.
Christine
Very tasty! I used 1.5 lb of ground lamb About 1/4 panko bread crumbs About 4 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce 1 Chopped pickled Jalapeño (sliced- Trader Joe’s) Spices called for in the recipe 1 egg About 1/8 tap onion powder 1/2 shallot, chopped A refreshing change from beef burgers!
Susan
I sautéed the onion with the spices and then mixed them with the meat. We will see shortly - after they are grilled - how well that worked:)
tammy
Good enough to have a next time. Only had ground lamb so used that but that may be the reason burger was "mushy". Only had half the amount of meat so halved everything else. Next time will use 3/4s of everything else (only 2 of us so don't need more meat) to up the flavor which was too subtle for our taste. Made yogurt sauce with parsley, mint, and garlic to go on top.
Reni
Excellent. Used 1 lb ground lamb, kept spice quantities the same, and wouldn’t change anything. Didn’t have red onion or peppers or mango, but did have some mango chutney. Took it over the top!
Sheila Datt, Integrative Nutrition Coach
Used ground lamb, added the spices and diced red onion and 1 chipotle pepper. The taste was divine! Accompanied with an avocado tomato salad and hash browns.
Lisa
Used 1lb ground lamb with minced onion, jalapeño and spices in proportion written in recipe - delicious!
jpr
The lamb burger should be refrigerated to keep them from falling apart on the grill and I have found that they take more than 3 minutes a side.
greta # 3
Mix the chopped mango, onion, cilantro, red pepper and carrots with mayo and curry powder !
Katie
Added curry spice and used ground lamb.
Nait
Added breadcrumbs, 1 egg, chopped re bell pepper, cilantro, cooked mixture of 1/2 onion, zucchini, garlic, ginger.
soigne
Why did you add breadcrumbs? Did you try it without first? How did it change texture of burgers? Thanks.
Canaan
If you start with ground lamb, do NOT add onion. The burger will fall apart in the pan.
steve
Pretty bland and I added the spices per the other posts.
Private notes are only visible to you.
Advertisement
