Moroccan-Spiced Lamb Burgers
These juicy ground lamb burgers are flavored before grilling with a simple blend of spices common to the cuisine of Morocco. To accent the flavor further, we repeated the same spices in an easy, seasoned ketchup that’s finished with a bit of fresh mint. Serve on soft rolls with grilled onion and sliced ripe tomato.
Moroccan-Spiced Lamb Burgers
Yield:
4 servings
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
10 minutes
Total Time:
20 minutes
Juicy, grilled lamb burgers flavored with a Moroccan-inspired blend of garlic and spices and topped with fresh tomato, grilled onions and seasoned ketchup.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 4 slices (1/4-inch thick) sweet onion
- 4 round sandwich rolls, sliced
- 4 slices ripe tomato
For the spiced ketchup:
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to a medium-high temperature (about 400°F).
- Combine the ground lamb, tomato paste, garlic, salt, a few grinds of black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, coriander and onion powder in a shallow bowl. Use a wooden spoon to combine the meat ingredients as best you can before doing a final, gentle mix with your hands. Gently form the patties into quarter-pound portions and make a slight depression in the center of each with your thumb. Place on a plate and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- While the lamb burgers chill, make the sauce. Combine the ketchup, tomato paste, cinnamon, cumin and coriander in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on 50% power for about 30 seconds - just long enough to warm the mixture slightly, then stir in the mint and set aside until ready to use.
- Oil the grill grates, add the onion slices and grill until they're lightly browned and softened, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Oil the grill grates a second time, add the lamb burgers and grill until you see juices start to accumulate on the top of the meat, approximately 4 minutes. Flip the burgers and grill for an additional 3 minutes, or until they reach desired doneness (recommended internal temperature of 160°F). Transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes.
- To serve, add a slice of onion and tomato to the bottom half of each roll. Add a lamb burger and top with sauce.
