Here is the grand finale for this mint-focused week: a lamb burger with mint pesto.⁠

Lamb and mint are an age-old and undeniable combination, here supplemented with a healthy smear of goat cheese, red onions, and sliced pepperoncini. Can’t beat that with a stick, as my pops would say.⁠

I won’t go into the foraging of mint too much in this post, but you can find some more of that here, in Friday’s post about watermelon mint gazpacho.

The mint pesto by itself is refreshing and interesting, with a bit of sugar differentiating it from your run-of-the-mill greens, garlic, and cheese pesto. It is great on a sandwich, would be good with pasta, and makes an excellent dressing mixed with mayonnaise or yogurt.

Below you will find the recipe for the mint pesto as well as a Mediterranean-inspired lamb burger with a mint pesto dressing.

Mint Pesto

Ingredients:
1 cup mint leaves, lightly packed
2 tbsp walnuts
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
½ cup olive oil
½ tsp sugar
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt to taste

Directions:
Add all ingredients to food processor and blend until smooth. Add salt and additional sugar to taste.

Lamb Burgers with Mint Pesto Dressing

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds ground lamb
Soft goat cheese
Red onion
Sliced pepperoncini
Mayonnaise
Butter Lettuce
4 buns
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Divide the lamb into 4 equal patties and season both sides well with salt and pepper. Grill the burgers on a hot grill for around 3-4 minutes on each side and remove to a plate to rest.

Make the dressing by mixing equal parts mayonnaise and mint pesto. Toast the buns and give them a good smear of the mint pesto dressing.

When assembling the burgers, put mint pesto dressing on both buns, the lettuce on the bottom, then a burger with a big smear of goat cheese, red onion, and sliced pepperoncini. Top with the other half of the bun and any other toppings you want, and dig in.