WINE WITH…Lamb Burgers and Greek Salad

Sue and Jim, friends from Portland, Oregon, sent us their recipe for lamb burgers. “This is always a hit at our house,” Sue wrote. She likes to serve the patties with grilled onions and tzasiki (“yogurt, lots of garlic and grated cucumber,” she says) or a Greek salad. In this holiday season of over-indulgence, we think a simple lamb burger and Greek salad make a perfect supper, easy to prepare, guilt-free in terms of caloric intake, and absolutely delicious. In fact, we plan to add this recipe to our list of favorites for every season.

Lamb Burgers

(serves 2)

One pound ground lamb
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon allspice
3 cloves finely minced garlic
1 teaspoon sherry, madeira, vermouth (or substitute red or white table wine)
1 teaspoon red or white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or red pepper flakes)
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and form the meat into two patties. Grill them to desired doneness, and serve with Greek Salad.

Greek Salad

(serves 2)

Authentic Greek salad does not have lettuce in it. The cukes and tomatoes should be cut in fairly large chunks rather than chopped or sliced, and the feta cheese is generally served in chunks or thick slices rather than crumbled. If decent tomatoes aren’t available, try smaller cherry tomatoes halved. (Soaking the sliced onion in cold water dials down its pungency a notch or two, making it more wine-friendly.)

1/3-1/2 red onion, sliced very thin
1 English (seedless) cucumber
2-4 tomatoes (depending on size)
sea salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove finely minced garlic
freshly ground black pepper
about 10 Kalamata or other black Greek olives
2 chunks or slices of feta cheese, about 2 ounces each
½ teaspoon dried oregano

Cover the onion slices with very cold water and let sit for 10-15 minutes, then blot dry. Peel the cucumber and cut it in bite-size chunks. Cut the tomatoes in quarters or eighths and sprinkle them lightly with salt. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. To assemble the salad, mix together the onion, cucumber, tomatoes and olives, along with 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Divide the salad between two serving plates and top each with a slice of feta. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the cheese and sprinkle oregano over the top.