Mini Lamb Burgers with Hidden Courgette

Ingredients

• 500g lamb mince (20% fat)
• 1 large courgette, coarsely grated
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 red onions, peeled and cut into 1cm rounds
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 200g bulgur wheat
• 400ml hot vegetable stock
• 8 mini brioche buns, split and lightly toasted, to serve
• ¼ iceberg lettuce, finely shredded, to serve
• tomato ketchup, to serve
• 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt, to serve
• small bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked, to serve
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

Method

1. Tip the bulgur into a heatproof bowl, pour over the hot stock, cover tightly with a plate and leave for 15 minutes. The grains drink up every drop and finish tender, not mushy.
2. While that sits, pile the grated courgette onto a clean tea towel and wring out as much liquid as you can — water in the mix means patties that fall apart in the pan, so be ruthless.
3. Combine the lamb mince, squeezed courgette, grated garlic, cumin, ground coriander, smoked paprika and oregano in a large bowl. Bloom-by-cooking comes later, but season generously with salt and pepper now — seasoning the mince before it hits the pan is the only way to season it through. Mix firmly with your hands until evenly combined.
4. Divide into 8 portions and shape into flat patties about 1.5cm thick. Press a thumbprint dimple into the centre of each — they'll puff in the pan and the dimple keeps them flat instead of domed.
5. Heat the olive oil in a large stainless or cast-iron frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the red onion rounds in a single layer and cook for 4–5 minutes per side, until deeply charred and softened at the edges. Splash over the red wine vinegar, toss briefly in the hot pan so it sizzles and clings, then transfer to a plate.
6. Wipe the pan and return to medium-high heat. Cook the patties in two batches — don't crowd the pan, or the meat steams in its own juices instead of browning. 3–4 minutes per side until deeply crusted and just cooked through. The spices toast against the hot metal as the patties sear; raw ground spices taste dusty, but this contact bloom turns them fragrant. Watch the garlic in the mix — if you hear it scorching past pale gold, drop the heat. Burnt garlic turns the whole patty bitter.
7. Fluff the bulgur with a fork. Taste it now and adjust the salt — stock varies, and bulgur dulls seasoning as it cools. Divide between four plates alongside the charred onions.
8. Spread a little Greek yoghurt onto the base of each toasted brioche bun, add a pinch of shredded iceberg, a patty and a round of charred onion, squeeze over a little ketchup and press on the lid.
9. Pile two loaded mini burgers onto each plate beside the bulgur. Scatter torn mint leaves over everything and squeeze a lemon wedge over the patties just before serving — the acid cuts through the lamb fat and lifts every spice you've built in.