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12 ways to serve up hot dogs and hamburgers

Here are 12 recipes (including vegetarian options) to kick off summer, including fresh takes on traditional favorites.

5. Lemony lamb burgers with Dijon mustard

Blue Kitchen

By Terry Boyd, Blue Kitchen

Lamb burgers with lemon zest and Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 scallion, finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
1 generous tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 pound ground lamb
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil
3 burger buns (we used pretzel buns)

1. Combine the parsley, garlic, lemon zest in a small bowl. Add the Dijon mustard and stir with a fork to mix everything together. In a large bowl mix the ground lamb and the parsley mixture together until just combined. You need to strike that fine balance of getting the parsley mixture distributed evenly without overworking the meat.

2. Form three burger patties with the lamb mixture and season generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Before cooking the burgers, make an indentation in the centers with your thumb; this will keep the burgers from plumping up too much as they cook (I do this with beef burgers too).

3. Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium-high flame. (If it’s grilling season where you are, you can absolutely grill these.) Toast the buns, if you like. You can use the toaster or your grill pan. Brush the heated grill with some oil and grill the buns cut sides down, pressing down slightly on them to make sure they make contact with the pan. A minute or two should do it.

4. Cook the burgers. Make sure the pan is plenty hot and brush it with some more oil, if needed. Cook the burgers for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, then an additional 3 minutes on the second side for medium-rare. A quick-read thermometer should read about 125ºF when inserted in the center of the burger. Transfer burgers to buns and serve immediately.

5. These burgers had a nice lemony brightness, thanks to the lemon zest. You can serve extra Dijon mustard to amp up that flavor, if you like. If you’re a mayo lover, that works too.

Read the full post on Stir It Up!

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Mark Sappenfield
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