Fight Food: UFC 88

I've been craving some lamb burgers for a while, so I figured Saturday night's UFC gathering at my place would be the perfect place to try them. They were f'n out of control tasty and manly! Though I almost puked up the burgers after watching Liddell get knocked the f out in the second round.

Lamb Burgers
The key to these burgers is to allow the meat to stand for itself. Cook it well, so it's juicy and don't overpower it with too many other flavors. The yogurt feta sauce adds a salty creamy texture kinda like mayo. The red onions lend a bite and sweetness to the meat. Was originally thinking about adding tomatoes and baba ghanouj, but after tasting it with onions and yogurt feta sauce on it only - anything else would have been too much for the lamb.

Ingredients
4 Portuguese Rolls (ciabatta would be nice too)
Ground lamb (about 3/4 pound per person - ya...not a typo)
2 cups Greek yogurt
1 cup feta cheese
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 cucumber peeled, seeded, and diced
1 red onion thinly sliced
Salt and Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 rosemary sprig

1) Combine yogurt, feta, cucumber, garlic, pinch of salt and pepper together in a bowl. This will be thick, but it will loosen up over time. Place in the fridge. Taste right before adding to the burger and adjust - flavors will change after sitting in the fridge. Should be creamy and slightly tangy.
2) Right from the fridge, form lamb burgers into a tight 3/4 pound patty. Make sure the meat is cold and you form a tight patty, otherwise the meat will fall apart on the saute pan.
3) Heat saute pan over medium heat and add olive oil and a sprig of rosemary. Heavily salt and pepper the patties - front and back preferably with sea salt.
4) Add patties to the pan and do not touch. When the meat begins to change color half way up the side of the patty, flip the patty over (bout 5-7 minutes). Meat should be completely browned with a nice crust. Cook until medium rare (bout another 5 minutes). You can touch the top of the patty and squeeze the sides. If it's really loose like a stress ball, it's completely rare. If it's firm, but a tad squishy then it's medium rare.
5) Let patty sit for 2-3 minutes (I can't wait longer than that). Add patty to the bread, top with plenty of yogurt feta sauce and a good amount of red onions. Buono Appetito!


Roasted Baby Potatoes
I was figuring baby potatoes would pair well with the lamb burgers and they're always hella tasty. Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside and nice simple potato flavor.

Ingredients
1 pound baby white potatoes
3 rosemary sprigs
4 garlic cloves
Salt and Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1) Wash the potatoes and dry thorougly with a paper towel. If they're slightly wet, they won't crips up that well.
2) Set oven to 425 degrees with a baking tray inside. Heavily season the potatoes with salt, pepper and olive oil. Once the tray is very hot, add olive oil to a baking tray and add potatoes, garlic, and rosemary to the tray - they'll start to sizzle right away. Make sure every potato touches the tray.
3) After 15 minutes, turn each potato over. The potato should be nice and browned. After 10-15 more minutes check the potato. Should be crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. When finished, salt the potatoes some more and serve immediately

One of the fellas also brought some marshmallow meringue cupcakes. Not really manly, but these were crazy tasty. Rich chocolate flavor with a marshmallow toppings that were light as a cloud.