Spicy Maine Blueberry Relish Lamb Burgers

After lobster, Maine is probably most famous for it’s wild blueberries.We also have a great small farming system which has resulted in the creation of several artisan cheese makers. So all in all, this burger represents Maine, and everything great about fresh, local, American products

Ingredients:

Miny Lemon Mayo
1.5 cups high quality mayonaisse, such as Hellman’s
3/4 cup fresh, finely chopped mint
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Spicy Blueberry Relish
2 cups fresh wild Maine blueberries,
or 2 cups Wyman’s frozen wild Maine blueberries thawed
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
2 tbsp finely diced jalepeno
1/2 cup finely chopped mint
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet white onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Lamb Patties
2.25 pounds of ground lamb
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil for grill
6 oz of a mild, spreadable goat cheese
1 head boston or butter lettuce
6 ciabatta rolls

Instructions:

Spicy Blueberry Relish
Preheat gas grill to medium-high.

Place 1 cup of blueberries in a grill-safe sauce pan with the sugar and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Place remaining cup of blueberries in a heat proof bowl along with lemon zest, jalapeno, mint, onion, salt, and pepper. Cook the blueberry/sugar mixture over medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until all the blueberries have popped, stirring occasionally to keep berries from scorching. Meanwhile mix remaining tbsp lemon juice with cornstarch. Sitr into hot blueberry mixture and continue to cook until it forms a thicks sauce, stirring frequently.

Immediately pour hot blueberry mixture over reserved blueberries in bowl. Sitr to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for a minium of 30 minutes.

Minty Lemon Mayo
Place mayo, mint, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside. Let stand for at least 1 hour.

Lamb Burgers
Gently combine lamb, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Separate into 6 6oz portions and gently shape into rectangular shaped patties, or shape to match your roll shape. Shape burgers with the edges slightly thicker than the center so that burger keeps a flat shape while cooking. After shaping, place burgers on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 mintues to rest.

Preheat grill to medium-high. Brush grates with vegetable oil just prior to placing burgers. Cook burgers for 5 – 6 minutes per side, turning once. Cook burgers to 155 – 160 degrees F for medium doneness.

Slice ciabatta rolls. Turn-off grill and place rolls cut side down on grill for 1 minute to lightly toast.

To assemble:
Place bottom of roll on plate and spread with 1 oz of goat cheese. Top with burger. Place 1 tbsp of blueberry relish on top of burger. Cover with 1 or 2 lettuce leaves. Spread minty lemon mayo of cut side of top of roll and place on top.

Enjoy.