Lamb Burger with Goat Cheese and Blueberry Glaze
Main · 35 min · serves 2
What had happened was... the BF loves lamb - I decided I want to cook lamb for that night - lamb chops are too expensive, Shepherd's Pie is too ... "winter" - I was stuck. I mentioned my hang up to the BF and he said "burgers" and that spawned so many ideas in my brain! I opted for a combo of lamb and beef to lessen the fat content and gaminess - then went for non-traditional toppings like blueberries and goat cheese to mesh with the lamb flavors - I did GOOD.
Patty
- 2/3 pound ground beef + lamb (40% beef, 60% lamb)
- Salt & pepper
Goat cheese spread
- 4 oz goat cheese, softened
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Heavy cream to texture
- Salt & pepper to taste
Arugula salad
- 1 cup arugula
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
Burger build
- 2 potato buns
- Savory blueberry glaze
Method
- 01Add lamb and beef to large mixing bowl
- 02Season heavily with salt & pepper like you would a steak
- 03Mix everything together with your hands (the warmth from your hands helps the salt melt into the meat and makes it taste better)
- 04Form into 2 equal-sized patties; make them flat and a little bigger than your bun size because they'll shrink in & up as they cook
- 05Set the patties aside on a paper towel to dry out the outside of the meat and get a better sear
- 06Heat a larger pan (one that can fit both patties) over medium-high heat; add a small amount of neutral oil to the pan to keep the patties from sticking
- 07Once the neutral oil is smoking, add your patties; cook each side until browned, about 2-3 minutes per side; you want the patties to be ~125 F in the center
- 08Once cooked through, transfer to plate and cover with foil to keep warm
- 09Make the savory blueberry glaze
- 10Toast the potato buns to desired color
- 11Mix all ingredients for the goat cheese spread in a mixing bowl (I usually just use a spoon)
- 12Toss the arugula salad ingredients together in another mixing bowl
- 13Plating: smear some goat cheese spread on the bottom half of the burger bun, smear blueberry glaze on the top half of the bun, add a burger patty on top of the goat cheese smear, then add arugula salad to the top of the burger; flip the top half onto arugula and serve! Goes great with sweet potato fries
Orange Salsa
Taco Tuesday · 2 hr 30 min (mostly chilling) · serves 12
I wanted to make a sweeter salsa to go with my Cinco de Mayo dinner and this fit the bill. I dug through online recipes and asked ChatGPT for help to come up with my rendition of orange salsa. I asked my house cleaner to try it - she originally said no because she wasn't hungry, but once I said it was homemade she gave in and tried it - said it tasted just like a restaurant and then proceeded to eat half my afternoon snack!
- 2 jalapenos
- 1 small shallot, peeled
- 2 (12 oz) cans fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 navel orange, segmented and pith removed
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2-3 stems cilantro
- Salt to taste
Method
- 01Preheat oven to 425 F
- 02Remove seeds from jalapenos and reserve
- 03Roast seeded jalapenos and shallot at 425 F until slightly charred, about 20 mins
- 04Add the roasted vegetables, reserved jalapeño seeds, and the remaining ingredients to a blender and blend to desired consistency
- 05Taste test, adjust, and blend further as needed
- 06Chill in fridge for about 2 hours to allow flavors to marinate
Spicy Watermelon Mocktail
Drink · 10 min · serves 4
picture this: it's Tuesday, May 5, 2026 - double hitter Taco Tuesday AND Cinco de Mayo. I had plans for a shredded beef taco feast and some left over watermelon in the fridge from the girls weekend in Fredericksburg. The BF and I opted for sober May because we want to be more "responsible" (whatever that means). So, I decided to play around with making a mocktail to go with our tacos - and man am I glad I played - 'twas YUM!
Syrup Ingredients
- 2 cups watermelon
- 1 tsp pickled jalapeno puree
- 1 tbsp honey
- Juice of 1 lime
- Pinch of salt
Finishing Touches
- 2 12oz bottles sparkling mineral water
- Lime wedges
- Tajin rimmed glasses
Method
- 01Add syrup ingredients to blender (Ninja smoothie is the perfect size!)
- 02Blend until smooth; taste test, adjust, and blend again if needed
- 03Add a tajin rim to 4 pint glasses (rub the lime you juiced around the rim of the glass, then dip the rim into a small pile of tajin)
- 04Fill the 4 pint glasses to the brim with ice
- 05Add the sparkling mineral water and syrup to a pitcher and stir to combine
- 06Pour the mixture over the ice into each glass
- 07Add a lime wedge and straw to each glass