A flavorful, colorful lamb burger served with tomato, cucumber, onion, and feta

Burger ingredients:

1 pound ground lamb
1 tablespoon dried mint leaves (or 2T fresh chopped)
1 tablespoon dried cilantro (or 2T fresh chopped)
1 tablespoon dried oregano (or 2T fresh chopped)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons red wine
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon molasses
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice*
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes**
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For serving:

4 pita bread rounds (or use hamburger buns)
Mayonnaise or dressing of your choice
Thinly sliced cucumber
Thinly sliced tomatoes
Thinly sliced onions
Lettuce, optional
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

1. In a large bowl, combine the lamb with the seasonings and mix well. Shape into 4 patties (or cover and refrigerate until needed, up to 24 hours).

2. Preheat grill on medium. Brush grill grate with oil. Grill burgers ~5 minutes on each side (our Weber Q grill takes 4 minutes on each side).

3. Heat the pita pockets or buns briefly on the grill (we spread a little butter on the buns first).

4. Serve burgers with the mayonnaise, cucumber slices, tomatoes, onions, and lettuce or feta (if desired) in the pita pockets or on the buns.

*I didn't have allspice, so I tossed in a sprinkling of black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.

**This sounds like a lot of crushed red pepper, but the burgers really aren't what I would consider "hot", so feel free to add more if you want some heat! I like 1 teaspoon instead of 1/2 for a spicy burger. :)

Original recipe inspiration from AllRecipes.com [2]. :)

I love these lamb burgers!!! I think the unique accompaniments (cucumbers, for example) help remind me that these are not beef burgers, they are lamb... and the flavors really are wonderful!! :) My rating: 10/10