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Lamb Smashburger Tacos with Veggies and Tahini Sauce

Lamb Smashburger Tacos with Veggies and Tahini Sauce

Lamb Smashburger Tacos with Veggies and Tahini Sauce

Ingredients

For the lamb pitas: 

2 pounds American ground lamb

6 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

6 pita breads, preferably fresh (frozen also works—just be sure to thaw them to room temperature before you start cooking)

2 tablespoons Greek seasoning, divided

8 ounces grated Gruyère cheese, divided

1 cup chopped lettuce

1 cup diced tomatoes

¼ cup hamburger pickles

Tahini sauce (you can make your own with this recipe, or purchase it pre-made at a Mediterranean grocery store)

For the tahini sauce: 

4 medium to large cloves garlic, pressed or minced

¼ cup lemon juice

½ cup tahini

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 pinch ground cumin

6 tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed if you prefer a thinner sauce

Preparation

To make the smash burger pitas: 

1. Preheat your griddle to 350ºF. While the griddle is preheating, weigh out six 5-ounce portions of ground lamb and loosely roll each into a ball.

2. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil onto the hot griddle and place 1 ball of lamb in the oil. Center 1 pita on top of the ball of lamb, then firmly press down to flatten the lamb (the lamb should cover nearly the entire pita once it’s pressed). Cook for 3–4 minutes, then flip the burger with the pita side facing down. Season the burger with ½–1 teaspoon of the Greek seasoning, then sprinkle with a generous amount of the grated Gruyère. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the bread is slightly crispy, about 1 minute. Remove the pita from the griddle.

3. Repeat the process with the remaining olive oil, lamb, pitas, Greek seasoning, and Gruyère.

4. Top the smash burger pitas with chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes, and pickles, then drizzle with the tahini sauce (recipe below). Enjoy!

To make the tahini sauce

1. In a medium bowl, combine the garlic and lemon juice. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes to give the garlic time to infuse the lemon juice with flavor.

2. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into another medium bowl. Press the garlic solids with a spatula to extract as much liquid as possible, then discard the garlic.

3. Add the tahini, salt, and cumin to the bowl. Whisk to thoroughly combine the mixture.

4. Gradually add the ice water to the tahini mixture 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking after each addition, until smooth. (It may seize up at first—don’t worry!) Once you’ve added all the ice water, you should have a perfectly creamy, smooth, light-colored tahini sauce.

5. If desired, thin with additional water for a more drizzly sauce. Taste the sauce and adjust if necessary—if you’d like more tang, add more lemon, or for more overall flavor, add another pinch of salt.

6. Your tahini sauce is now ready to serve! Use it to top your lamb pitas, or serve with grilled mixed veggies, hummus, and chips. Enjoy!

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Lamb Smashburger Tacos with Veggies and Tahini Sauce

Lamb Smashburger Tacos with Veggies and Tahini Sauce

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