Lamb and Goat Cheese Burgers with Cabernet Barbecue Sauce

I made a leap of faith with these Lamb and Goat Cheese Burgers with Cabernet Barbecue Sauce and am so glad I did; one of the best burgers I’ve ever made!

I participated in a group event a couple of years ago that was all about burgers. I have some favorites I’ve already made that I could have included but wanted something totally unique and I think I pulled it off with these Lamb and Goat Cheese Burgers with Cabernet Barbecue Sauce topped with Fried Onion Rings.

When I first decided to participate there is no question that my head was still thinking about what has become my favorite burger, the Canyon Creek Burger that I re-created after a visit to Ted’s Montana Grill.

It had the unexpected ingredient of blackberry jam that was fantastic but maybe what inspired me most about that burger was the lack of lettuce and tomato; it proved they really are not required.

I played with ideas in my head but to be honest, there was something larger than me working on this project. I had received ingredients from different sources that seemed prophetically destined that they be pulled together and I was simply game to go along.

First, while anticipating a beef burger because that’s my standard fare, that changed quickly after I was the lucky recipient of a prize package from the American Lamb Board when I participated in voting for what I thought was the best recipe from a variety of contributors. A prize for voting? Cool!

While happy to have a new pizza stone and a cool apron that I know I’ll never wear, the best part of that win was 5 pounds of local ground lamb meat. How could I not switch gears to a lamb burger right?

More of my inspiration? I had been sent samples of the most amazing cheese; one a double creme and one that is goats milk. Fromager D’Affinois hails from France’s southern Rhône-Alpes region and is similar to brie in appearance and flavor with a soft texture and an ultra creamy texture.

I decided that the goat cheese would be perfect with lamb and all I had left to do was formulate a plan for what else to include that would work well with these two exceptional ingredients.

Hmm, how about a red wine barbecue sauce?I had received a couple of bottles of Woodbridge Wines ‘Wine Cue Sauce’ and sadly had used up the majority of it when making a barbecue chicken pizza with bacon. So I punted and decided to make a sauce for these burgers using both the wine and the sauce. Guess I was saving it for something special and this was it!

I also asked the rep that I had been working with if she could send add some of this sauce to the prize packages for #BurgerMonth and it was a yes! So be sure to enter to win; there are some great prizes and two of them are (5) bottle packages of what is now my favorite barbecue sauce. When I shared my plans with her she sent me a recipe from celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli who had created several recipes incorporating the sauce for it’s official debut at her restaurant Butter in NYC.

Is it just me but I can’t help but think she should have named it Buttah? Anyway, I took her sauce for oven-baked chicken wings and modified it a bit for my lamb burgers. Truth? I didn’t modify it until after I made it. WOW was that a lot of sherry vinegar Alex!

So I had to double most of the ingredients to tame the vinegar and add a bit more sweetness; there is something about lamb that just handles that well. I’ve never tried the ubiquitous mint jelly as a side but one of my favorite lamb dishes has a honey dressing and I know how well that balances the gamey quality lamb can have.

OK, so I’ve got my lamb, my sauce and my cheese. Sounds good right but something else was needed. I thought maybe some grilled onions would be nice; another savory and sweet combo that would be a nice balance but then I decided that would be way too easy and opted instead to make fried onion strings.

Some sweet onions dipped in a buttermilk batter and quickly fried that are well, amazing.

My daughter and I first made them when we decided to make a homemade version of the classic Thanksgiving dish of Green Bean Casserole. They are addictive and I was lucky I had enough left for the burgers after I kept snacking testing the results so often!

The recipe for the Onion Strings are from The Pioneer Woman website so just click over there for Ree’s recipe or if you’re in a pinch? Go on, grill some onions; I know they would be fabulous too.

I searched for the perfect bun which did not seem to exist but in the long run that turned out fine, these pretzels rolls that I already had were part of the destiny. The burgers are a bit rich and decadent so I made them on the smaller side; about 5.5 ounces each; just the perfect size for the rolls (Costco).

Altogether? Everything I had hoped for. The lamb shone, the sauce was amazing, the cheese gave it that great tang and the sweetness and crunch of the onion strings was the perfect touch. I made 6 burgers and I’ve had two already. Really…somebody stop me!

See you at the grill!

PIN IT! ‘Lamb and Goat Cheese Burgers’

Lamb and Goat Cheese Burgers with Cabernet Barbecue Sauce

Barbara Baker

Lamb Burgers with Goat Cheese and a Cabernet Wine Sauce are a most unique burger and absolutely delicious!

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 32 minutes mins

Course Lamb, Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 6 Burgers

Calories 781 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the Cabernet Sauce

• 2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 large cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Molasses
• 3 tablespoons Woodbridge Wine ‘Cue Sauce sub a favorite barbecue sauce if necessary
• ¼ cup sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 scallions white and green parts both, cut into thin rounds

For the Burgers

• 2 pounds ground lamb
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 4 tablespoons Cabernet Barbecue Sauce

To Finish the Burgers

• 4 ounces Goat cheese thinly sliced or crumbled
• 6 burger buns I used Pretzel rolls from Costco
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• Pioneer Woman Onion Strings

Instructions

 

To Make the Sauce

• In a large skillet, reduce the Cabernet Sauvignon over medium heat until there is only about 1/4 cup liquid. Pour the wine into a medium bowl to cool.
• In the same skillet, bring the honey, garlic, brown sugar, molasses and Woodbridge Wine ‘Cue Sauce to a simmer.
• When it starts to foam, cook for a minute or too and then remove the skillet from the heat and pour in the sherry vinegar. Return the skillet to the heat and allow it to simmer until it becomes like a light glaze, 12-15 minutes. Stir in the black pepper and scallions and add the red wine reduction. Whisk to blend. Taste for seasoning.

To Make the Burgers

• Blend together the lamb, salt, pepper and 4 Tablespoons of the Cabernet Barbecue Sauce; form into 6 patties.
• Grill patties until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees; 4-5 minutes per side on medium heat. Remove from heat; slather both sides with sauce and add goat cheese to top of burgers and cover with a skillet or pan to retain heat and let cheese soften.
• Let the meat rest until internal temperature is160 degrees.
• Brush the rolls with olive oil and grill briefly just to crisp inside a bit; about 1 minute.
• Remove rolls from grill, slather with a bit of sauce, layer the burger with the onion strings and serve with additional sauce on the side.

Notes

Prep time does not include making the onion strings; if you use them add an additional 25 minutes to the time required.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Lamb and Goat Cheese Burgers with Cabernet Barbecue Sauce

Serving Size

 

1 Burger

Amount per Serving

Calories

781

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

43

g

66

%

Cholesterol

 

119

mg

40

%

Sodium

 

855

mg

37

%

Carbohydrates

 

48

g

16

%

Protein

 

33

g

66

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Calories

781

Keyword burger, dinner, goat cheese, lamb

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