Lamb “Burgers” with Indian Spiced Eggplant (Recipe Swap)

I received this recipe as part of our weekly exchange (thanks Melissa @ I Was Born to Cook).

CH and I love lamb and knew it would be easy to find in France.  Well, apparently they have every cut except ground-lamb and I even asked several butchers if they would grind it for me, but unfortunately their health laws disallow it (and no, this wasn’t “lost in translation”). I ended up buying a smaller piece of the leg and minced it small, trying not to overwork the meat, but getting them small enough to be considered a patty.  I also knew that not having a grill would be an issue…but I had confidence in the recipe and knew that pan-searing them would still lead to a delicious result, which it did.  The final little issue was the ‘bun’…since I have no oven to make homemade ones and they really aren’t the “typical” bread item you can buy here.  I contemplated serving this on a baguette, but in the end I decided to adapt it a little more and feature another delicious French ingredient. [CH: For the record, you can replace my burger bun with pan fried spiced eggplant any day of the week.]

Eggplants (or aubergines in French) are in season right now and are absolutely delicious.  I had one in my vegetable basket, just waiting to be used. Also, I was armed with my stack of Indian spices (see this post for a little more on them), that yes, I brought with me to France!  I had an appetizer that I’ve been wanting to blog, as it is one of my favourites, and knew it would be the perfect compliment to the lamb patties as it’s ‘bun’.

Let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint.  It was filling, yet healthy, and I cannot tell you how nice it was to cook a full meal in our kitchen.  We ate it on our little patio with French-doors and watch the town wander along by.  We also have a cafe downstairs, and we can hear the chatter of the locals when we have the doors open (which I love, and which reminds me that I am in France, especially when CH is speaking English!).

I can only imagine that the flavour of these burger patties would elevated if we had a grill to use (and yes, they were definitely cooked in the photos – the lighting was just a little off because of the reflection). Check out Melissa’s blog post for the traditional take on this recipe or if you are looking for a twist on your next BBQ burger night.

If you are looking for something a little more exotic, this is the recipe for you.  It was delicious and I cannot wait to make it again!

Lamb Patties with Indian Spiced Eggplant

Yield:  8 mini patties (3 inches wide, 1/2 inch thick)
Prep Time:  5 minutes (if you don’t have to dice your own meat)
Cook Time:  7 minutes on the stove

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pounds ground lamb
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin (or more)
• 1 clove of garlic, grated
• generous dash of salt and pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 serving of Indian Spiced Eggplant (click for recipe!)
• 1 serving of yogurt-mint sauce (recipe to come!)

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients, except the eggplant & mint sauce, in a large bowl and gently combine – being careful not to overwork the meat.  Form into small 3 inch patties and set-aside.

Over medium-high heat, warm a large non-stick saute pan. Add the olive oil to the pan and warm for approximately 1 minute (until glistening)

Add the lamb patties to the pan and cook for approximately 6 minutes, until nice and brown (I would suggest using a splatter guard to prevent the mess and clean-up!).

Flip the patties and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, until no longer bright pink and done to your liking.

Place the patties on-top of eggplant slices and top with yogurt-mint sauce. CH built them “burger style”, with an eggplant slice on either side of the patty, which he argued was a better approach to eating them.  I think my way was much more elegant.

Either way, enjoy!

Lamb Pattie Recipe From I Was Born To Cook.