Preparation time
less than 30 mins
less than 30 mins
Cooking time
30 mins to 1 hour
30 mins to 1 hour
Serves
Serves 4
Serves 4
These lamb burgers are packed with the salty, savoury flavours of anchovy, gherkin and capers, with a little ball of sheep’s cheese as a surprise inside.
Ingredients
- 120g/4½oz hard sheep’s cheese, preferably a Berkswell, coarsely grated
- 800g/1lb 12oz coarse lamb mince, fattier the better
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
- 8 small gherkins, finely chopped
- 4 tsp capers, drained
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 burger buns
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
- Divide the cheese into four piles, and roll each one into a tight ball. Set aside.
- Place the lamb mince in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the onion, anchovies and gherkins.
- Add the capers and season the mince well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Mix the contents of the bowl together, ideally by hand.
- Divide the mince mixture into four.
- One by one flatten each pile of mince into the palm of your hand, leaving a little well in the centre.
- Place the cheese ball in the well and mould the mince around the cheese to form a tight, plump burger shape that is almost spherical.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat and brown the burgers.
- If the panhandle is ovenproof, transfer the pan to the oven to bake. If not, carefully transfer the burgers to an oven tray and bake for 30 minutes.
- Slice the buns and when the burgers are cooked, soak the cut side of the bread in the pan juices. Fill the buns and serve.