Name: Shawarma Burgers with Tahini-Yogurt Sauce
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT0H30M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT0H30M0.000S
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 clove garlic; 3/4 cup yogurt; 1/4 cup tahini paste; 1 lemon; 1/2 teaspoon cumin; Salt; 1 1/2 pounds ground lamb or ground white and dark meat chicken combined; Salt and pepper; 1 tablespoon (scant palm full) cumin; 1 tablespoon coriander; 1 tablespoon paprika; 1 tablespoon sumac, optional; 1/2 tablespoon (1/2 a palm full) turmeric; 1/2 tablespoon ground cardamom; 1 teaspoon (1/3 palm full) crushed red pepper flakes or ground pepperoncini; About 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice; About 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg; 2 large cloves garlic; 1 small onion; A small handful each mint leaves and flat parsley tops; EVOO; 4 sesame seed rolls such, as Big Marty's or brioche rolls, split; Gem romaine, or lettuce of choice; Pickled hot cherry peppers or jalapeno peppers; Thinly sliced Persian or seedless cucumbers; Whole leaves of parsley and/or cilantro; Very thinly sliced fennel and onion, white or red, dressed with lemon juice and EVOO, salt and pepper; Long bamboo toothpicks with knot on top or frilled burger toothpicks; Fancy chips of choice; 4 giant pita

Gather your ingredients.

For the sauce: Peel a clove of garlic with a crack of knife against the heel of your hand. In a small bowl, whisk up yogurt, tahini, the juice of 1 lemon and cumin. Then grate the garlic into the sauce with a zester or paste it with a knife (add a fat pinch of salt). Whisk sauce again.

For the burgers: Preheat a cast-iron skillet or heavy griddle or frying pan over medium to medium-high heat.

Place ground lamb or chicken in a mixing bowl. Season the meat with salt and pepper, cumin, coriander, paprika, sumac if using, turmeric, cardamom, crushed red pepper, allspice and nutmeg. Crack 2 cloves garlic and grate them into the bowl or finely chop. Peel the onion and grate about 3 tablespoons of it into the bowl. Finley chop the mint and parsley then add them to the lamb. Combine all the ingredients and mound up. Score meat into 4 equal portions and form 4 patties, thinner at the center for even cooking.

To prepare the burgers, add EVOO, 1 slow turn of the pan, to skillet (a thin layer to just glaze the surface). Add patties and cook about 7 minutes for lamb, a minute or two longer for chicken, turning occasionally. If cooking lamb, press down with spatula when you turn the patties -- lean ground lamb tends to tighten as it cooks more so than other ground meats.

When you remove the patties they can be served as such but for a more authentic facsimile of shawarma, we rest the patties and very thinly slice them on a bias. Regardless, while the burgers cook, prepare your toppings of choice.

Assemble burgers: bun bottoms, sauce, patty or thinly sliced shawarma, lettuce, hot cherry peppers, cucumbers, herb leaves, dressed fennel and onions, bun top. OR split a pita and fill with giardiniera and Israeli pickles.

Poke with a couple of toothpicks and split burgers down the middle. Serve burgers with chips.

On Tonight

Shawarma Burgers with Tahini-Yogurt Sauce

Sauce:

Burgers:

To Serve, Mix 'n' Match:

Optional:

Categories:

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