Greek Lamb Sliders with Tzatziki

Lamb is one of my favorite meats, but it can be expensive. I was excited to see ground lamb on sale at the grocery store a few weeks ago, and I knew just what to make. I had seen Green Sliders over at Nom Nom Paleo, and I decided to put my own spin on them. I kept the chopped vegetables mixed in with the ground meat, but I replaced the beef with lamb and added other Greek-inspired ingredients for a delicious salad topped with these mini burgers.

Greek Lamb Sliders – Makes 16 miniature burgers (3-4 servings)

1 cup packed baby spinach
4 ounces cremini mushrooms (about 1 1/3 cups chopped)
½ red onion
4 tablespoons olive or coconut oil, divided
1 egg
1 pound ground lamb
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon salt

For the salad:
1 cup packed baby spinach
several cherry tomatoes, halved, or campari tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons tzatziki
Optional add-ins: ¼ cup chopped red onion, ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese, chopped black olives

Begin by washing and preparing all vegetables. Chop spinach into thin ribbons and finely chop mushrooms and red onion. Heat two tablespoons of your oil of choice in a pan over medium heat. Sautee vegetables for two to three minutes or until spinach is wilted, mushrooms are slightly golden, and onions are translucent. Allow vegetables to cool. Save the pan if you intend to cook sliders immediately. If you would like to freeze the raw patties for defrosting and cooking later, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg. Add ground lamb, spices, and sautéed vegetables. Use your hands to mix everything well. Take a small handful of meat about the size of a large egg and form into a patty by lightly tossing back and forth between your hands. Place patty on the prep plate or baking sheet.

To cook sliders, retrieve your pan from earlier and heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Place as many sliders as will fit without touching in the pan (with a regular skillet, it will probably take two rounds of cooking) and cook for about three minutes on each side or until browned and cooked through.

To freeze raw sliders, place patties on lined baking sheet as you form them. Cover sheet loosely with plastic wrap and place in freezer overnight. After patties have frozen completely, you may remove them from the baking sheet and place them in a more convenient storage container. When you want to cook, thaw the desired number of patties in the refrigerator overnight or in the microwave. After thawing, cook patties as described above.

To keep it primal, serve these sliders on top of a big Greek salad. My makeshift version included more baby spinach (I can’t get enough greens!), tomatoes, and a big dollop of tzatziki. Tzatziki is a yogurt dip with cucumber and dill that you can buy or easily make at home. Don’t skip the sauce—its cool temperature and the crisp flavors of cucumber and dill are perfect complements to the juicy lamb.