Greek-Style Lamb Sliders. Opa! (can i say that?)
There’s not much wrong with these sliders. I mean really. Toasted brioche roll, oregano-seasoned lamb, black olive tapenade, feta cheese, tzatziki, tomato slice, pickled red onions and mint leaves. All in a 4-bite package. We did these on a Saturday night up on the roof deck with some friends. It started raining on us right at service. Nobody left the table.
The Prep:
The Lamb:
- Ground lamb shoulder. Good drizzle of olive oil, sea salt, cracked pepper, garlic powder. And lots of oregano.
- Mix gently with hands.
- Form small patties, chill.
The Tzatziki:
- Peel, seed and dice fine a hothouse cuke.
- Put in middle of a clean dish towel, gather into a ball. Hold the top of the towel together and twist the ball so it tightens up, continue to twist hard and squeeze out all the water you can from the cuke.
- Chop and then smash clove or two of garlic into a paste with the side of a knife, kosher salt as an abrasive.
- Plain greek yogurt, garlic, squeezed cuke into a bowl. Salt, pepper, dill (preferably fresh chopped, but I didn’t have any fresh on hand and dried worked fine here). Drizzle of olive oil, squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
The Rest:
- Sliced feta cheese.
- Sliced plum tomato.
- Brioche roll.
- Mint leaves.
- Black olive tapenade. I should have made this myself, but didn’t.
- Pickled red onion. I did make this. I have a tub of these in my fridge at all times. Michael Symon recipe.
Grill the lamb burgers just a few minutes each side, evacuate and quickly toast the brioche rolls. Then let your guests assemble their own.
The Pros:
Not your usual slider, a high-class gyro. When you bite in, it’s all like ‘hey now’.
The Cons:
I should have made my own tapenade.
The Takeaway:
If you want to get high-end mixologist, save your cucumber water from squeezing the cukes. Shake it up with ice, Grey Goose, squeeze of lime juice. Rim a martini glass with kosher salt mixed with ground chipotle. Strain booze into glass, float a thinly sliced cucumber on top. Now that’s eating your veggies.
