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Lamb sliders on a plate with salad and pickled onions

Lamb Sliders with Pickled Onions and Herbed Yogurt Sauce

Loaded with fresh herbs and a few dried spices, the lamb mixture can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator all day before cooking in a cast-iron skillet or on a grill. Skip the bun and serve the sliders on crunchy lettuce leaves with herbed yogurt sauce, or go the more traditional route and serve them on buns, if you like.
Course Dinner
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 41 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 418 kcal
Author Katie Morford

Ingredients

PICKLED ONIONS

  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 6 Tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp raw cane sugar

HERBED YOGURT SAUCE

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 Tbsp finely chopped mixed herbs such as dill, parsley, and mint
  • Kosher salt

LAMB BURGERS

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 red onion, finely diced
  • 1 lb ground lamb
  • 8 oz ground pork or ground turkey
  • 3 Tbsp finely chopped mint
  • 2 Tbsp finely chopped dill
  • 3 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 12 lettuce cups (6 large Romaine lettuce leaves, torn in half or 12 butter lettuce or little gem lettuce leaves for serving)

Instructions

  1. To make the pickled onions: Place the onion, lime juice, salt, and sugar in a small bowl. Stir to combine, cover, and let sit at room temperature for about 2 hours to soften. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  2. To make the herbed yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, herbs, and 1/2 tsp salt. Adjust the salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, or for up to 2 days.
  3. To make the lamb burgers: In a small skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a small plate to cool.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the lamb, pork, mint, dill, parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and cooled onions. Gently mix with your hands. Do not overwork the meat. Divide the mixture into 12 equal balls. Press into patties and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. (If not cooking immediately, cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.)
  5. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Working in batches, sear the burgers until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare, or about 5 minutes per side for well-done. Alternatively, prepare a grill for cooking over medium-high heat. Lightly grease the grill grate. Place the burgers on the grill, and cook, turning once, to reach desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare, or about 5 minutes per side for well-done.
  6. Transfer the burgers to a plate to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Tuck each slider into a lettuce leaf and top with a generous dollop of herbed yogurt sauce and some pickled onions.