(Food Styling/Lisa Falso; Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff)
Family Table
Serves 6
Ground lamb makes delectable burgers. Here, the patties are brushed with a garlic-mint sauce, then broiled. Top with a cucumber-yogurt sauce seasoned with lemon and mint, and tuck the succulent burgers into buns.
| 1 | small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced |
| Salt and pepper, to taste | |
| 1 | tablespoon lemon juice |
| 1 | tablespoon olive oil |
| 2 | cloves garlic, finely chopped |
| 2 | tablespoons finely chopped mint |
| 4 | tablespoons chopped fresh parsley |
| 2 1/4 | pounds ground lamb |
| 1 | container (7 or 8 ounces) plain yogurt, preferably Greek style |
| Grated rind 1/2 lemon |
1. In a strainer, layer the cucumbers with a generous pinch of salt. Set the strainer over a bowl. Let them drain for 30 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon of the mint, and 1 tablespoon of the parsley.
3. In a large bowl, gently toss the lamb with the remaining 3 tablespoons parsley. Shape the lamb into 6 patties that are 1-inch thick. Set in a heavy skillet with a heatproof handle or in a broiler pan.
4. Rinse the cucumbers with cold water and pat them dry with paper towels. Chop them finely.
5. In a small bowl, combine the cucumbers, yogurt, lemon rind, remaining 1 tablespoon mint, salt, and pepper.
6. Turn the oven to broil. Brush the burgers with the lemon-oil mixture. Broil them for 10 to 12 minutes, turning halfway and brushing again. Let burgers rest for 3 minutes. Serve with yogurt sauce.
Keri Fisher 
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
