I am a mince fan. Whenever I think of the aromatic larbs of Thailand and Vietnam, my mouth starts watering, while pork meatballs studded with sage and garlic are one of my family’s favourite things to eat. Then there are burgers: the best one I ever ate was made of goat meat, at the Aldeburgh food festival in Suffolk, but there have been many others. Summer for me is all about lamb burgers: cook them in a griddle pan or over the barbecue, and pile high with relishes. Bliss.
Lamb, ancho and rosemary burgers with jalapeño and lime yoghurt
The deeply flavoured, mild heat from the ancho chilli is a lovely backdrop here, while the yoghurt brings freshness. Chutney, chilli jam, quince or hot sauce all make fine accompaniments.
Prep 20 min
Cook 10 min
Serves 4
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tsp ancho chilli flakes, or urfa chilli
500g lamb mince
½ medium white onion, peeled and diced
Sea salt
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
For the yoghurt
150g Greek yoghurt
150g cottage cheese
A handful of fresh mint leaves
1 garlic clove
The juice of ½ lime
1-2 tbsp pickled jalapeño slices, finely chopped
To serve
Burger buns, preferably ciabatta
Sliced radishes
1 avocado, sliced
To make the burgers, gently toast the spices in a dry frying pan for a few minutes, then grind in a mortar with the garlic, rosemary and chilli flakes. Mix this spice mix with the lamb mince and onion until thoroughly combined, then season generously with at least half a teaspoon of sea salt. Add the olive oil, then shape the lamb mix into four patties. Refrigerate until needed or leave out, to come up to room temperature.
Blitz all the yoghurt ingredients until smooth, then taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt, lime or mint as needed.
Heat a grill or griddle pan and, when it’s smoking hot, cook the burgers for a few minutes on each side – I like mine pink, but cook them for longer if you prefer them medium. Slice open and toast the burger buns, then serve stuffed with the hot burgers and all the trimmings.
Potato, pickled onion and dill salad
A beautifully simple but extremely good salad that goes with just about everything.
Prep 15 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 4-6
Salt and black pepper
300g white onions, peeled
1.2kg floury potatoes, unpeeled
3 tbsp good quality cider or white-wine vinegar
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp grainy mustard
90ml extra-virgin olive oil
A generous handful each dill and mint leaves, roughly chopped
Put a large pan of water on to boil and salt it generously. Halve the onions, finely slice, blanch for a minute, then lift out with a slotted spoon – the blanching will draw out the onions’ sometimes acrid heat. Tip the onions into a salad bowl and set aside.
Bring the water back to a boil, add the potatoes, bring to a boil, then simmer for 18-25 minutes, until tender to the point of a sharp knife (the exact timing will depend on the size of the potatoes). Drain, then decide if you want a rustic salad with the skins on (I really love their texture and flavour), or peel and cut them into rough chunks.
While the potatoes are cooking, pour the vinegar over the onions and add the sugar and a splash of the boiling potato water. Season generously, then stir to melt the sugar.
Add the mustard and olive oil, and mix well. Add the potatoes, preferably while they are still warm.
Stir through the chopped herbs, then taste the salad: it should not feel dry, the flavours should be bright and perky, and it should be well seasoned – so add more oil, vinegar or seasoning to taste. Cover and chill the salad for later, or serve straight away at room temperature.
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• The recipe for potato, pickled onion and dill salad was amended on 29 July 2024 because an earlier version omitted to say to halve and finely slice the peeled onions before blanching.
