What an interesting assignment this week from the cooking club anything stuffed from the list of chef’s and while we had a nice day for grilling, I thought of burgers and what could be better than a cheese stuffed burger? I think there are a lot of recipes out there, but I had to stick to a particular list and I came away with Mark Bittman’s inside-out lamb burgers which I adapted to be more like a Greek seasoned burger.
I only made 2 burgers so not much measuring going on, but I will link to Mark’s recipe which I greatly adapted because someone around here doesn’t like lamb and I was making a smaller recipe-two burgers. I love chunky cucumber Tzatziki and made that as well to go with the burgers. Warm pita pockets were perfect and a good way to cut back on the bread…make thin patties, center the cheese on one and top with the other patty, press and seal edges, grill for 4-5 minutes on each side, obviously I love a good char on my burger.
Mark’s burger is easy enough, but I did add more herbs and spices for a Greekier burger that included fresh and dried oregano, salt, pepper, chopped chives, garlic, and parsley
PREPARATION
Start a charcoal or wood fire or preheat a gas grill.
Season the ground meat with any of your chosen spices. Divide meat into 4 sections and shape each one around a piece of cheese, enclosing it fully.
Cook over moderately hot fire: you will be able to hold your hand 3 or 4 inches over rack for a few seconds. Grill burgers about 4 minutes a side for medium-rare, and until cheese begins to melt. (Timing on stove top is the same.)
Serve on buns, toast or hard rolls, garnished as you like.
*I like the Greek seasonings from The Spice House collections and used all 3 in the burgers, but not necessary if you have good herbs and spices on hand, examples below and of course season to your personal taste.
1 ½ pounds ground lamb or a combination of beef and lamb
2 sprigs of oregano leaves minced, or 1 teaspoon dried
several leaves of chopped mint (3 large leaves)
1/4 cup minced chives
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic, or 3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon toasted and chopped pine nuts
a bit of grated lemon zest
a drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
chunks or slices of feta cheese
Toppings:
Handful of rocket leaves (wild arugula) or crispy lettuce
Slices of tomato and red onion for the burgers on a bun or pita pocket
Tzatziki dressing:
about 2/3 cup Greek style yoghurt
1/2 of an English cucumber halved, seeded then quartered and thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 clove of garlic crushed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017104-inside-out-lamb-cheeseburgers
Cucina Magia 
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