Alterna-Burger Night

I have my family in town already for Christmas and have been cooking for a crowd. It has been fun to cook for them and thank goodness I have made recipes that they enjoyed! Last night I made a burger that is fantastic and flavorful. This is not your average burger and it actually looks elegant. It is a ground lamb burger wrapped in prosciutto and cooked on the stove (no one has to dare the 10 degree weather to grill!). I served it with a simple orzo salad with oranges. It was a great meal and I got lots of compliments. So thank you Giada for this lovely recipe and I hope your eves of Christmas are just as successful!

Prosciutto Lamb Burgers

Giada's Kitchen

serves 4 to 6

1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs (I actually used Italian style and it was great)

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons of whole milk (I used skim and it was fine)

1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese (I used Parmesan and again, it was great)

1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (use the oil packed ones)

/34 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

1 pound ground lamb (ask your butcher to do this for you, I have yet to see it in the market)

6 large slices of Prosciutto, sliced medium thin (I used two think slices instead)

1/4 cup olive oil

Fresh basil leaves for topping burger

Fresh tomato slices for topping burger

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

In a large bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients. Stir to combine. Add the lamb to the bowl and gently combine all of the ingredients. (tip: I use a fork to do this or you can use your fingers. The harder you work the meat, the more dense your burger, so be gentle) Divide the mixture into 6 portions and pat each burger into a 1 inch patty. Place the prosciutto slices on a cutting board. Place 1 burger into the center of each slice or prosciutto and wrap the prosciutto around the burger. (My slices were short, so I overlapped them to make one long piece so it would wrap all the way around)

Place a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil to the pan and heat for 2 minutes. Place the lamb burgers in the pan and cook half way until prosciutto is golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. (If you think the process is happening too fast, and the prosciutto is burning, turn down heat). Turn the burgers and cook an additional 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove burgers from the pan and place on serving platter or individual plates. Top each burger with a tomato slice, basil leaf, a drizzle of olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic. Serve immediately.

I served this with a orzo salad that I put together with the following. You can portion it out to however many people you are having and how hungry they are. I used 2 cups of Orzo for a hungry crowd of 5. Just toss all the following together and let sit until ready to serve. It is better if it sits for at least an hour.

Orzo: cook until al dente, drain, rinse with cold water until room temperature.

Orange segments: I cut the rind completely off the orange then cut the segments out of their rind so there is just orange.

Red Onion: sliced thin and roughly chopped

Flat Leaf Parsley: chopped

Celery: Chopped

Red Wine Vinaigrette: minced garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, 1 part red wine vinegar, 2 parts olive oil whisked together

Enjoy!

xoxo

Erin