Gyro Sliders
This is an excellent change of pace kind of burger in slider form, especially great if you're in the mood for something Mediterranean! The burger mix in this recipe is a 50/50 mix of ground lamb and ground beef, which if you didn't know, is the same ratio of "Americanized" gyro meat you typically find at many Greek restaurants across the country believe it or not. They've learned that most Americans prefer the mix, over straight lamb.
Ingredients:
- One pound ground lamb
- One pound ground beef
- One Tablespoon salt
- One teaspoon black pepper
- One teaspoon dried, ground rosemary
- Slider buns (toasted)
- Two to three tabs of butter
- One teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
- Lettuce for toppings
- Tomato, thinly sliced
- Tzatziki sauce (Ingredients and directions below)
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the ground lamb, ground beef, salt, pepper and rosemary. I like to keep the seasoning simple here, I want to taste that lamb, I don't want to overpower it with any other seasonings. After the meats, salt, pepper and rosemary are thoroughly incorporated, form into slider sized patties. Place patties on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. Fire up the grill. While the patties are chilling and the grill is warming up, make the Tzatziki sauce. Grill Time: These are sliders, not burgers, they will cook a bit quicker so don't walk away once you place them on the grill over direct heat. Lamb has a higher fat content than beef, so you will get some flame ups. If you do get those flame ups, simple move the patties over to a not so hot spot on the grill. The one flip only rule applies here, wait until you see some red juices come to the top of the patty before flipping to the cooler side of the grill to finish cooking. After you flip, when you see the juices run clear, you know the burger is well done. When the burgers are over indirect side of the grill to finish cooking, it's time to toast those slider buns. Put the butter and garlic in a grill safe bowl and let it melt over indirect heat. Once that butter is melted, brush the buns with the garlic butter, then place the buns over direct heat to toast. This is only going to take 30 seconds to a minute to get those great grill marks and that melted marriage of garlic butter toasted bun flavor. Pull the buns, the sliders, dress the buns with the Tzatziki sauce, top the burgers with the crumbled Feta, lettuce, tomato and there you have it, another dose of YUM! Gyro Sliders.
Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 an English cucumber, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- One Tablespoon dried dill
- One Tablespoon lemon juice (citric acid is a nice alternative)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix until thoroughly incorporated, cover and chill for about 30 minutes or until ready to use.
