Grilled Lamb Burger Roll-Ups

Last year we tried grilling lamb burgers for the first time - we were struck with what an amazing change they made from the normal beef variety. These burger roll-ups have the great Mediterranean tastes - oregano, garlic, lamb, olives, and humus. I think that Paul was actually purring when he dug in to his; he wanted a second but also wanted to preserve some leftovers for later.

This recipe was in the 2001 Better Homes and Gardens Simple Perfect Grillingmagazine. While you'll love the flavour of these you'll also love the fact that you can get them ready in 30 minutes - start to finish. This fact alone makes them perfect for a busy summer weeknight meal.

In my roll ups I used baby spinach. I also used low-fat tortillas (I don't even know what cracker bread is!) I also discovered that my olives had been eaten by a mad olive fiend - I debated popping out the store for the one ingredient but that seemed like such a waste of gas (when gas is $ 1.35 a litre) so I used roasted red peppers. YUM

Grilled Lamb Burger Roll-Ups

1 beaten egg
3 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons snipped fresh oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound lean ground lamb
2 14- to 15-inch soft cracker bread rounds or four 7- to 8-inch flour tortillas
1/3 cup prepared hummus (garbanzo bean spread)
4 cups torn spinach or red-tipped leaf lettuce
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons sliced pitted kalamata or ripe olives

In a large bowl combine egg, bread crumbs, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon water. Add lamb; mix well. Form into eight 4-inch-long logs.

Grill lamb on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 14 to 18 minutes or until lamb is no longer pink, turning once.

Meanwhile, spread the cracker bread or tortillas with hummus. Sprinkle with spinach or lettuce, feta cheese, and olives. If using cracker bread, place 4 lamb pieces, end to end, near an edge of each round. Roll up, beginning with edge closest to lamb. Slice each roll-up diagonally in fourths. (If using tortillas, place 2 lamb pieces, end to end, on each tortilla. Roll up. Slice each roll-up diagonally in half.) Makes 4 servings.

Comments

[Cindy Ruth]

Jerry-Those look just so good! Another one of your recipes I'm going to have to try.

[Jerry]

Cindy - enjoy. I bet that these would be great with tzatziki instead of the hummus as well.

I was somewhat taken aback at Paul's reaction - you'd have thought that I'd never cooked anything tasty before. :-(

[Amy]

Thse looks great! BTW, "cracker bread" is a very thin lavosh, another Middle Eastern or Armenian flatbread. They can be found fresh in Middle Eastern markets.

[Jerry]

Thanks Amy - I will have to hunt around for lavosh - it sounds interesting.