Lamb Burger

Directions

1. 1
   Start by pulling down the leaves of the rosemary and place on top of minced garlic.
2. 2
   Top that with the salt, then use your knife and begin rubbing and cutting that into the cutting board, making a paste, as best as you can.
3. 3
   This will all go into the grinder, so making fine paste is not desired.
4. 4
   Next, take lamb meat and add to a meat grinder.
5. 5
   If you do not have a grinder, place the meat in a sealable bag in the freezer until it just begins to harden, then use a chefs knife and cut it into a fine mixture, as though you were grinding.
6. 6
   Run the rosemary garlic mixture in the grinder as well, midway through the meat grinding process.
7. 7
   The meat mixture should be kept in a medium-sized bowl.
8. 8
   Give a good stir, seal, and let this marinate 4-10 hours, covered in the refrigerator.
9. 9
   (I went with 9 hours as I had to go to work.)
10. 10
    About 30 minutes before making your burger, take the meat mixture out of the refrigerator, form into a large ball, and let this come close to room temperature, or enough to take the chill off.
11. 11
    During this time, prepare the remaining ingredients.
12. 12
    Add the feta to a small bowl, and add in the yogurt.
13. 13
    Stir, and set aside.
14. 14
    Get a large cast iron skillet onto the stove and set on medium-high heat.
15. 15
    After a few minutes, take your lamb ball and add it to the skillet.
16. 16
    Give just a slight press, then let this cook for a couple of minutes.
17. 17
    After 2-3 minutes, use a large spatula or burger press and smash it down.
18. 18
    Yes, smash it down.
19. 19
    Let this cook another minute for flipping and cooking another few minutes.
20. 20
    During the last several minutes, slather the yogurt mixture all over the base of the bottom bun.
21. 21
    Add the cooked lamb burger on top, then top with the slices of tomato, lettuce, and cucumber.
22. 22
    Add the top bun, then garnish with a toothpick full of kalamata olives.
23. 23
    You will notice right off the bat the great crisp you get on the burger, primarily due to the fact that the lamb has great fat content, plus that great smash technique.
24. 24
    When you bite into this burger, you will be sold right away.
25. 25
    Its packed with an awesome rosemary and garlic flavor (that I really, really love with lamb) that is perfectly balanced by the feta and yogurt mixture.
26. 26
    Then you get this crunch of the thinly sliced cucumber and the lettuce and tomato.
27. 27
    This burger was hard to put down, and lets just say that I will be making this one again.
28. 28
    If you are looking for a different burger recipe, give this one a shot.