It’s Summer, and that means lots of outdoor cooking and probably too many burgers. A little variation, like this Lamb Burgers instead of a hamburger makes even a very simple meal feel a little bit special and intriguing. I also switch out the conventional bun and serve it on some really good bread. It’s amazing what good crusty bread rather than a processed hamburger bun can do to complete the feeling of everyday elegance. The cool yogurt cucumber sauce and some Summer tomatoes enhance the Mediterranean flavors of the Lamb Burgers. Serve it with a lightly chilled pinot noir and you’ve got all you need.

Serves 4

1 pound ground lamb
1 cup diced red onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon celery salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon hot paprika
1 teaspoon sumac if you can find it or lemon zest if you can’t
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
2- 4 ounces of feta cheese

4 inches cucumber
½ cup yogurt
1 stem mint leaves
salt to taste

lettuce
tomato
bread or bun

Dice the onions. Sauté the onions in 1 teaspoon olive oil until they’re becoming translucent. Add the minced garlic and the seasonings. Continue to cook until spices are very aromatic (a couple of minutes). Remove from heat and let cool. Combine with the ground lamb and the feta. Shape to match your bread.Make the cucumber sauce. Either dice cucumber and mint very fine by hand and mix into yogurt or, pulse in a blender or food processor. Be careful not to over blend if using a machine as sauce will become watery.

Heat grill pan or grill to medium high. When it’s very hot, place burgers on the grill. Cook about 7 minutes and flip. After 5 minutes, take temperature. Ground lamb should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 (I often cook just a touch less if I’m confident in the quality of the lamb). Let the burgers rest on a place while you toast the bread. Serve with lettuce and tomatoes.