I know it’s the day after Thanksgiving and you are probably not thinking about food, but there is nothing like a big, fat, juicy, flavorful burger and this one has it all. Melted feta cheese, caramelized red onions, juicy heirloom tomatoes, crisp arugula and a tangy cucumber-mint yogurt sauce. It was a big hit at the restaurant last week when I served it as a chef special. This burger has big, bold flavors and is not for the faint of heart, but I guarantee that once you make my version, you’ll never look at burgers the same way!  I start with freshly ground chuck, but you can use a combination of chuck and lamb. If using a combination, I prefer a ratio of ¾-pound chuck to ¼-pound lamb, but half and half is fine.

In a pan with olive oil, sauté finely diced onion and garlic until soft.  Add lots of chopped fresh herbs such as basil, oregano, mint, dill and parsley, as well as fresh ground cumin and salt and pepper to taste. If you want a more North African/Moroccan flavor then add a small amount of freshly ground cinnamon.  Cook the mixture for a few more minutes on low heat until the flavors combine and then set aside to cool. Once cooled, add the mixture to the ground meat and form into uniformed eight-ounce patties. Chill until ready to use.

To make the cucumber-mint yogurt sauce, combine authentic Greek yogurt found at most gourmet grocery stores. The consistency of the yogurt is incredibly thick and smooth and the flavor is sweet and mellow. (My husband and I traveled to the Greek Island of Crete in May and we fell in love with Cretan yogurt and the cuisine, but I'll save this discussion for another blog post in the near future.) If you can’t find Greek yogurt, then line a sieve with moistened cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. Spoon the yogurt into the cheesecloth and refrigerate for several hours. Make sure that the bottom of the sieve does not come into contact with the liquid that is drained from the yogurt. The end result will be a thick creamy Greek-style yogurt.

In a food processor or blender, combine the yogurt, diced cucumber (skins and seeds removed) chopped garlic, mint, lemon juice, a few dashes of red wine vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper. Blend until smooth and chill until ready to use.

To finish, cook the burgers to the desired doneness with melted feta cheese and pile on all the other ingredients, and lots of the cucumber-mint yogurt sauce!

For the Greek fries, finely mince garlic and oregano and sauté in olive oil over low heat to mellow the flavors. Be careful not to burn the garlic or it will become bitter. Deep fry or oven roast the fries and then toss immediately with the garlic/oregano mixture, salt and a large squeeze of fresh lemon juice to finish.

Opa!