It's useful to know how to cook lamb if you're preparing meals for an allergic family. While lamb isn't truly "hypoallergenic," it's often one of the first or only meats allowed on rotation diets, and people who are allergic to beef or pork are often able to tolerate lamb. But you can't always substitute ground lamb for ground beef in recipes. Lamb is fattier (causing grill flare-ups and making some recipes greasy), and it has a much stronger taste.
Here's one easy and delicious cooking method you can try. It's free from all common allergens.
- 1 lb. ground lamb
- 1 T fresh minced mint leaves, or 1 tsp dried mint
- 1 T fresh minced oregano leaves, or 1 tsp dried oregano
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- In a bowl, mix all ingredients together. Divide mixture into four to six equal-sized balls, then flatten into firm patties using the palms of your hands.
- Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Being careful not to crowd, place the patties in the skillet and cook until each side is browned but not burned (about five to seven minutes per side). Depending on the size of your skillet, you may need to do this in two batches. Expect a lot of fat to be rendered from the lamb as it cooks.
Serves 2 to 3. Recipe can be doubled or tripled.
Doneness: Lamb should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 to 160 degrees. As a general rule, I've found that patties this size are cooked appropriately when the outside is done. If the outside cooks much faster than five minutes, lower the heat of your burner to prevent the outside from charring while the inside remains underdone.
Serving Suggestions: Lamb burgers can be served on buns or in pita pockets. They are delicious with tomatoes and lettuce and are traditionally served with raita (a cucumber-and-yogurt condiment) or feta cheese. If you cannot eat or do not wish to eat dairy, brown mustard and lamb make for a nice combination. These patties are also nice to serve atop brown rice or rice pilaf.
