Lamb Burgers with Kafterie

Kafterie is a Greek feta dip that has a bit of a bite to it. It’s not terribly spicy, but pepperoncini have just the right mixture of heat and acid. The final consistency is almost like a whipped feta – there should be a few very small chunks of feta throughout, but nothing large. It’s usually served as an appetizer with pita bread, but I’ve repurposed it here to be the cheese in the lamburger equivalent of a good old cheeseburger. As always, don’t forget that there is a huge variety and wide range of quality in feta cheeses, and the kind that is available everywhere in America is often bland and spongy. Seek out a light, tangy feta for best results, keeping in mind that the French make a feta which is worth more than a passing glance.

I like to keep the lamb burgers simple; you can garnish with sliced tomatoes, but I generally don’t, and I also tend to avoid other traditional burger garnishes like lettuce, onion, or pickles. It certainly wouldn’t ruin things if you were to add any of those (although the pepperoncini have just the right amount of brine so pickles might be overkill) but in any case, I leave them aside for other things. You may grill, broil, or pan fry the burgers – I cook them in the pan but this is also a pretty hefty patty, so watch your heat and make sure that it cooks properly throughout without destroying the outside. You want a nice sear on the edges, not a plate of armor. As always with burgers, you want to work your meat just enough so that the patties retain their shape but still have a good crumble to them – if you overwork the meat you’re going to end up with something tough and chewy.

Ingredients:

For the burgers:

• 3 TBS olive oil
• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 large sprig rosemary
• Salt and pepper
• 2 TBS butter, softened
• 2 brioche buns

For the Kafterie:

• ½ lb feta
• 4-6 pepperoncini (depending on their size and how spicy you like it), or two large marinated banana peppers
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 TBS lemon juice

Directions:

Start by making the Kafterie, so you have something to snack on while you’re cooking. Crumble the feta with your fingers into rough chunks into a the bowl of a food processor. Rough chop the pepperoncini and add them as well, along with the salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Turn the food processor on and add the olive oil in a stream. You’ll want to use the best olive oil you can get your hands on for this one, since you’ll be eating it raw. You’ll probably need to stop the food processor once or twice to scrape down the sides, making sure that no large chunks of feta or pepperoncini are spared. Stop when the mixture has a whipped consistency. If it is too dry or clumpy, add more olive oil. It should have a very pale green color, from the pepperoncini and the olive oil, and the former should be chopped so fine that they are almost imperceptible to the eye. Evaluate the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Now, on to the burgers. Remove the rosemary leaves from the stem, and mince very fine. You want this to be the texture of sand. Place the ground lamb in a large bowl, add the rosemary, a healthy pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper, and 2 TBS of the olive oil. Using your finger-tips and being careful not to overwork the meat, mix everything together thoroughly. Form two patties either by hand or by using a mold – I like to use a ramekin, placing the meat inside and pushing outward evenly with my knuckles towards the edges until it is of uniform thickness, then banging upside-down on the cutting board to unmold. You can prepare the ramekins with a light coat of olive oil if it helps unmold the first one.

To cook, film the bottom of a medium skillet with the remaining TBS of olive oil and place over high heat. When it is hot but not smoking, place the patties inside and cook over high heat for 1 minute. After a minute, turn the heat to medium and cook for another three minutes without touching them (you can peek underneath once or twice to check the sear). Flip the burgers over and continue to cook over medium heat for another 5 minutes or so. I like to cook these medium or sometimes even medium well. With all burgers, I’m of the opinion that if you’ve made a good patty and it’s got a good crumble, it doesn’t suffered from being cooked through. That’s not to say that you can’t overcook it, but if you take it just to the point where the last trace of pink is gone, it should still be delicious. When they’re just done, turn the heat off and let rest in the pan while you prepare the buns.

Slice the buns and spread a ½ TBS of butter on each side. Toast over medium heat for about two minutes until golden-brown.

To serve, spread a generous schmear of Kafteri on the top half of the bun, place the lamb burger on the bottom half, and press the top down very gently, just enough to make sure that the Kafteri gets into the nooks and crannies of both the burger and the bun.

Serve immediately and enjoy.