Lamb Burgers with the taste of a Gyro Recipe
Gyros, ubiquitous in NYCA
Gyro is a Greek dish of meat that’s been roasted on a vertical spit, folded
into pita bread and then served with tomato, onion and tzatsiki sauce. Gyros, pronounced "Heros", are
everywhere in New York City. The website
Yelp has a list of New York’s Gyro places that goes on for 100 pages. There is a certain ‘mystery meat’ quality to
a Gyro that can be a little off-putting but they are usually very inexpensive
and if that doesn’t win you over, the intense flavor will win over your taste
buds. So when a recipe for Lamb Burgers,
in a recent Saveur Magazine, promised the flavor of a Gyro in a Burger where
you put the meat together yourself, it was a no-brainer. And if you are a burger fan like me, you
should add this one to your repertoire of summer grilling.
Grilling meat stacked on a skewer
- has ancient roots in Greece but it really took off in the 19th century. Pieces of meat, usually pork,
- lamb and beef, are placed on a tall spit, which rotates in front of a source of
- heat. If the meat is not fatty enough,
- strips of fat are added to the pile so that the roasting meat is always firm
- and crisp. Soy and MSG are also used to season the meat. Then it’s
- sliced off into thin crisp shavings. The Lamb Burger recipe was adapted from the prominent Greek American
- chef, Michael Psilakis who own a restaurant called Anthos in New York
- City. I am happy to report there is no
- soy nor MSG at all in the dish. Instead, the Chef has spiced the
- pork and lamb mixture with parsley, dill, cumin and garlic. But it’s the toppings that really send you
- on the road to Greece with the tang of crumbled Feta cheese, arugula, olives
- and sun-dried tomatoes. I discovered an
- herbed Feta at Trader Joe’s that added even more punch. Here is the recipe:
- Recipe for Lamb
- Burgers adapted from Michael Psilakis in Saveur Magazine
- Makes 2 burgers. Takes under 30 minutes
- 2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp. minced yellow onion
- 1 tsp. each finely chopped parsley,
- 1 tsp. dried Greek oregano
- 1⁄2 tsp. ground coriander
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper,
- 1⁄3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 8 black olives in oil, drained, pitted,
- 8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
- 2 hamburger buns, toasted
- 1. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in an 8" skillet over high
- heat. Add onions; cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer onions to a
- plate; let cool. In a bowl, mix onions, lamb, pork, mustard, herbs, spices,
garlic, scallions, and salt and pepper.
2. Form meat into two 1"-thick
patties; set aside.
3. Prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire or heat a gas
grill to medium-high (or heat a tablespoon of canola oil in a large cast-iron
skillet over medium-high heat). Grill burgers, flipping once, until browned and
cooked to desired doneness, about 10 minutes for medium rare. In a small bowl,
combine feta, arugula, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes; toss with the remaining
oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
4. Place each burger on the
bottom half of a bun and top each with the vegetables and bun top.