Lamb Burgers with crispy bacon, chilly fries, onion rings and some jalapeno mayo:

Serves- 4

Prep time-20 min

Cooking time-25 min

 

Lamb Burgers:

Lamb mince-         500g

Onion-                    2nos

Garlic-                     40g

Green Chilli-          1no

Bread Crumbs-      30g

Mustard Paste-     1tbs

Paprika Powder-   1tbs

Mixed Herb

Powder-                  1tbs

Cumin powder-     1tsp

Red wine-               2tbs

Egg Yolk-                 1no

Salt-                         To Taste

Pepper-                   To Taste

 

Chilli Fries:

Potatoes-               250g

Chopped Garlic-   45g

Cayenne pepper- 1tbs

Salt/Pepper-         To taste

Oil-                          For Frying

Onion Rings:

Onion-            1Large

Butter-           1tbs
Salt-                To Taste

 

Jalapeno Mayo:

Mayonnaise- small bottle-(200g)

Jalapeno (Chopped) -          2tbs
Lime-                                      1tsp
Oregano-                               1tsp

Lamb Burger Patties and Bacon

Method:

Heat a large Sauce pan with olive oil and add a small chunk of salted butter. When the pan is hot, add finely chopped onion, garlic and chilli. Let the mixture cook on a simmer and become a very light golden brown. Add the Paprika powder, cumin powder and the herb powder and cook for 2 more minutes, switch off the flame and completely cool the mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, place the minced lamb, add the mustard paste, bread crumb, wine, salt, pepper, egg yolk and the cooled onion mixture and mix with your hands.

 Make a small ball and fry in some bacon fat to check if seasoning and spices are right. Add more paprika for more spice and add more salt if needed according to your taste.

Cover the bowl of meat with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for 2 hours to set a bit, which will help you work with better and impart flavour in the meat.

After it’s been refrigerated, remove the wrap and make the minced meat into 4 big, but thin 150g patties.

Heat a large ‘Dosa’ Pan/ flat sauté pan, add strips of bacon along the sides of the pan and let it cook for a bit till the oil from the bacon moves to the centre of the pan. Now add the patties to the centre of the pan filled with bacon fat and cook for 4 minutes on one side. Reduce the heat, if the meat is getting too dark. Flip after 4 min and cook for another 4 min on the other side.

By this time the meat should be cooked nice and juicy and the bacon on the side should be crispy.

Onion Rings

Cut an onion in rings and put them in a bowl of water with ice.

Heat a pan with butter, but add little oil to the pan so that the butter does not become brown. When the pan gets hot, add the onion rings and some seasoning. Make sure to leave the heat on high cause what you want is, brown onion rings which is still crunchy. Cooking in slow heat will only soften it. It’s ok if the ends get slightly black, it gives it a nice smoky flavour.

Chilli Fries

Wash the fries thoroughly and cut them into matchstick cuts with the skin on. Soak them in water for 20 minutes and wash the water off. Repeat this one more time and then refrigerate the fries for 30 minutes.

Chilli Fries

 

Now, the fries are ready to be fried. Heat a skillet or deep pan with oil. When the oil is hot, the fries are ready to go in. When they get a nice golden brown to dark colour, transfer the fries into a mixing bowl, add some salt and cayenne pepper and toss them in the bowl. Sautéed finely chopped garlic can be added once the fries are in the bowl.

Jalapeno Mayo

Mix mayo with finely chopped jalapenos, a dash of lime and a bit of oregano.

Burger time!

All you need to do is apply some jalapeno mayo between the buns, put a slice of green lettuce, a few sautéed onion rings. Place the burger patties on top with some bacon strips. You can either serve fries on the side, or have them like how I have them- ‘In the burger’ to add some more crunch!

Some add-ons:

I love my burger with a runny fried egg.

If you are not a fan of onions, just cut up some mushrooms and sauté them without anything first till all the water runs out, then add some butter and salt and toss them till they are golden and add them to the burger.

And most importantly, a burger is definitely not complete without a double serving of cheese. The best time to add cheese is 2-3 minutes before you take the patties out of the pan. I mix it up with a slice of regular Amul cheese and a cheddar slice. It melts right on top of the meat and tastes fabulous. It can also be had with just 1 slice of regular Amul cheese slice.

And, finally, if you have any fork or knife near your table- throw them away!

Get your fingers dirty, your face messy and dive straight into the burger with your hands!

*Red wine is optional for the lamb marinade.