Mediterranean Lamb Sliders with Tzatziki

Mediterranean Lamb Sliders with Tzatziki, an appetizer with plenty of flavor and juiciness from the moist tender lamb patty, to the fixings of tzatziki, dressed tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, and a surprise crispness from the scamorza rounds. Truly a fun, lovely, handheld treat of a burger!

Song of the day: "L'amore in bocca" by SANTI FRANCESI

Mediterranean Lamb Sliders with Tzatziki, truly an ah ha moment

I love when I get these creative inspirational experiences I call ah ha moments. It happened to me the other day. I had some ground lamb calling me from the freezer, and didn't really know what to do with it, yet. Then, it came the lightbulb over the head.

It was more like a vision than a thought. I saw these little burgers nestled in those mini pita pockets you see at the grocery store. Moreover, I had the feeling of Mediterranean flavors like Italian meets Greek, hence the use of Tzatziki and Scamorza cheese, along with those lovely dressed grape tomatoes, in addition to all that went into the lamb patties. The end result, Mediterranean Lamb Sliders with Tzatziki!

Let's get into the recipe!

Ingredients and substitutions

It may seem that there are quite a few ingredients, however, most of which you would have in your pantry, I hope. The key to this recipe is to divide the groups into: patties, sauce, garnishes. With that being said, here are the ingredients for our Mediterranean Lamb Sliders with Tzatziki:

Lamb:

• Ground lamb*
• Evo oil
• Day old bread (the inner crumb only)
• Italian-style breadcrumbs
• Garlic
• Dried oregano and rosemary
• Onion and paprika powder
• Lemon

*Substitutions: Instead of lamb you could used ground beef, pork, chicken or turkey.

Tzatziki*:

• Mini cucumbers
• Red onion
• Fresh dill and parsley
• Yogurt
• Olive oil mayo
• Lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

*Substitutions: If you do not want to make your own, buy a pre-made good quality tazatziki.

Tomatoes:

• Ripe grape or cherry tomatoes
• Garlic
• Fresh basil
• Evo oil
• Balsamic cream
• Salt and pepper

Garnishes:

• Mini pita pockets*
• Scamorza cheese*
• Iceberg lettuce or Romaine lettuce

*Substitutions: If you cannot find scamorza, provolone or mozzarella can work. Furthermore, for a little punch, try Parmigiano. Instead of the pita pockets you can use slider buns.

How to make Mediterranean Lamb Sliders with Tzatziki

It is always nice to make things easier, more so, with this recipe, divinding it up helps, and we are going to start with the lamb:

• In a bowl break up the lamb, add in all the ingredients in the list except for the day-old bread and milk. We are going to put the inner crumb of the bread into a ramekin and soak it with the milk then squeeze it out and add the moist crumb to the lamb mix.
• I like to get right into it with a clean pair of hands and mix it well. If you don't want to do it that way, mix it up with a spoon or fork.

Pro tip: If you want to really maximize the flavors of the lamb mixture, cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for an hour. You could even mix it up the night before and have it in the fridge overnight.

Making the mini lamb patties

• Take ground lamb mixture out of the fridge. Grab a tablespoon and scoop up some of the lamb mixture. Form it into a ball in between the palm of your hands.
• Then lightly press down forming a small burger patty. Continue this until you have used up all the lamb mixture. You will get around 14 mini patties depending on how big you make them.
• Place some plastic wrap over them and into the fridge they go.

Dressing the tomatoes

There is something about nicely dressed tomatoes. It brings back memories of how my mom used to do that. They were so delicious and aromatic, and it is exactly what I want in these sliders. Here is how we do it:

• Wash and slice grape/cherry tomatoes first in half, then into small diced pieces. Toss into a bowl. Drizzle in extra virgin olive oil, fresh chopped basil, a smidge of balsamic glaze, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Give it a good mix and set aside.

Heat up the grill

I chose to use the barbeque to cook the lamb burgers. I like that caramelization that happens and the color that forms. When using the grill, use a non-stick grilling pan so your burgers won't fall in between the grates.

Kitchen tip: If you don't want to do them on the grill, then cook them in a frying pan, or cast skillet. You could even bake the patties making sure to check them often and flipping them once so both sides get nice and caramelized from the juices.

• Pre-heat the grill and grilling pan to 500°F. Place the lamb patties on and cook for roughly 2 minutes.
• Flip patties over and cook for an additional couple of minutes. To be sure they are cooked to you liking, use a meat thermometer, and place it in the middle of the burger. For medium we want 65°C or 150°F, and for well done we would like to see 70°C or 160°F. Take off grill and place on a plate.

Another pro tip: To make sure that the burgers stay juicy and tender, let them rest for a few minutes. This allows the meat to relax. More so, allowing those juices to find their way back between the morsels of the meat.

Tzatziki

Of course you already know that tzatziki is the condiment for these sliders, but I haven't told you how I make it, so why don't I start now:

• Peel and finely dice the cucumber and place in a sieve to drain any excess water. Then throw into a bowl with some finely chopped red onion, and minced garlic.
• Add the yougurt, mayo, dill, fresh chopped parsley. Furthermore, season with salt and pepper. Give the whole thing a good mix and taste for seasoning. Adjust if necessary. Set aside.

Building the Mediterranean Lamb Sliders with Tzatziki

This is the fun part: building these luxurious flavorful stacks of goodness. Let's get started:

• Firstly, heat up the mini pockets a bit. Then, slice pockets in half giving you a top and bottom to your sliders.
• Spoon some of the tzatziki on the bottom half, and then the dressed tomatoes.
• Place the grilled lamb patty on next.
• Finish with the Ssamorza crisp, some shredded iceberg lettuce, and then the top pita.
• Give it a little press and continue building the rest of the sliders.

I really liked the idea of serving them on a wood board. It has that outdoor feel and these sliders look irresistible. So small and delicious. My mouth is watering just thinking about biting in.

Can you reheat the sliders?

Absolutely. The only thing is the tomatoes, tzatziki and lettuce will be a bit warm and soft. Actually, I shared some with a co-worker the next day and warmed them up in my toaster oven and they said they were fantastic!

I had to be patient going through the process of making them, and the aroma is killing me. Pardon me, while I grab one of these and take a bite.

Mmmmmmmm, I love everything that is happening to my tastebuds. The amazing thing is every ingredient shines, from the freshness of the tzatziki and lettuce, to the wonderful aromatics of the tomatoes. The scamorza crisp is fantastic, crispy and so flavorful, and the lamb patty is juicy and tender. The seasoning is spot on and I feel like I am in a Greek restaurant by the seaside. What could be better than that? lol.

I hope you enjoyed making these Mediterranean Lamb Sliders with Tzatziki, it has been a joy sharing my ah ha moment with you!

PS: If you love lamb, check out some of our other recipes like:

• Excellent Roasted Lamb and Potatoes, Roman-style
• Lamb Apricot Tagine
• Jerk Lamb with Caribbean rice and sautéed baby broccoli
• BBQ Lamb Chops on Root Vegetable Puree
• Cheesy Mushroom Lamb Burger
• Grilled lamb chops with Purple Cabbage, Feta and a side of Warm Potato Salad

Cheers!

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