Jacqueline’s Favourite Lamb Burgers
Lamb burger with Caramelized Onions, Goat Cheese and Fresh Mango Chutney
1 1/2lbs lean ground lamb
6 cloves garlic
Handful parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg (optional)
Olive oil
Goat cheese
2 sweet onions
Mango chutney
Place the lamb in a bowl. Chop the garlic and the parsley. And while busy with the knife, chop up the onions. Add the garlic and parsley to the lamb with some salt and pepper. (If you wish to add egg for binding, do so now.) Here’s where the cookbooks would say “gently combine”. Get in with your hands and mix it up. Then shape into six patties.
Use a nice olive oil and a brush to lightly oil the barbecue.
Cook each side around 4 to 6 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reaches at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Turn them once, and don’t squish them. You want them to remain juicy.
Caramelized Onions
While the burgers are cooking, in a skillet heat some more olive oil (or butter if you prefer) and when hot add the onions. Cook the onions until they become softened and turn golden brown. The naturally occurring sugars cause the onions to really sweeten up, hence caramelizing. If you are opening a bottle of red wine to go with this, I suggest adding a little to the onions now.
Use your favourite bun to serve them. Lightly toast the buns on the bbq. I personally like to serve them as follows:
On the bottom on a nice ciabatta bun put some chutney. Then the burger, then the goat cheese and top off with the caramelized onions. Bun on top and it’s ready to serve!
I usually buy the mango chutney as the only time I made chutney I found out there was a wasp nest in the kitchen roof! However here’s a recipe for the purists:
Mango Chutney
2 large, ripe mangoes
½ onion
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
Fresh ginger
Lime
¼ teaspoon curry powder
Peel and chop the mangoes into small dice. Peel and finely chop the onion. Place in a pan. Grate the lime skin over the onions so that you get the zest from a small lime. Grate about 1 teaspoon of ginger and add. Then add the vinegar, (any vinegar is fine for chutney making, but apple cider is most nutritious) brown sugar, and curry powder. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Uncover and simmer quite high to get rid of any excess moisture. Keep stirring and don’t let it burn. This keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge.