Lamb, Mint and Pine Nut Burgers

LAMB, PINE NUT AND MINT BURGERS
Who doesn’t love a burger? This is a very tasty combination that can be easily pan-fried or done on the BBQ. Searing first then finishing in the oven ensures a juicy result. Serve these on toasted Turkish bread instead of rolls, if you like.

serves 6
what you need
½ cup (80g) pine nuts
600g lamb mince
1 red onion, finely diced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup (20g) rice crumbs or wholemeal breadcrumbs
1 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
pinch of sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
toasted wholemeal burger rolls, salad leaves, sliced beetroot,
avocado, and tomato chutney, to serve

what you do
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (140⁰C fan forced) and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
2. Heat a small frying pan over low heat. Add the pine nuts and dry-fry for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown. Place the pine nuts into a large bowl with the mince, onion, eggs, crumbs, mint, parsley and spices. Season to taste. Mix well until thoroughly combined.
3. Divide mixture evenly into 6 portions. Using wet hands, roll mixture into balls, and then flatten to form large, round patties about 2-3cm thick.
4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Cook burgers in 2 batches, for 2-3 minutes each side until browned. Transfer all the burgers to the prepared tray and finish cooking in the oven for about 10 minutes (time in oven depends on thickness of burger, and how well done you like your meat).
5. Serve on the rolls with the salad leaves, beetroot, avocado and tomato chutney.

GF option: Use rice crumbs in patties and gluten-free bread rolls.

pine nuts are the edible seeds from trees. About 20 species of pine produce seeds large enough to be worth harvesting; in other pines the seeds are also edible, but are too small to be of great value as a human food. The time it takes for a pine tree to grow and the difficulty in harvesting leads to a limited supply and reflects the usual high price. Pine nuts contain thiamine (vitamin B1) and protein.

© Jane Grover - NAKED FOOD - the way food was meant to be