Chef Johns Lamb Moussaka Burger

I love lamb burgers and I’ve been daydreaming recently about a lamb burger based on the famous Greek casserole, Moussaka. For those of you who don’t know, moussaka is a stunning blend of spiced ground lamb, tomato, and eggplant, topped with a creamy, cheesy white sauce. I decided to integrate the eggplant right into the burger itself, instead of topping the burger with cooked slices.

Step: 1

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir diced onion with 1 teaspoon salt until onion is slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Add eggplant, reduce heat to medium, and cook and stir until eggplant is opaque and softened, 3 to 5 minutes more.

Step: 2

Stir garlic, 1 teaspoon black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and oregano into eggplant mixture; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste; cook and stir until heated through, about 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to a plate and cool completely. Cover plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 15 minutes.

Step: 3

Whisk 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and flour together in a saucepan over medium-high heat until golden and bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour milk into butter-flour mixture, whisking constantly as it simmers and forms a smooth, thick sauce, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with nutmeg, a pinch black pepper, and a pinch cayenne pepper. Remove from heat and stir Parmesan cheese into milk mixture until melted.

Step: 4

Combine lamb, chilled eggplant mixture, and a pinch of salt together in a bowl. Form into four patties and place on a plate. Cover the plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate until just before cooking.

Step: 5

Place tomato slices in a shallow bowl. Season tomatoes with chopped mint, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Pour rice vinegar over the top and toss to coat.

Step: 6

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook burgers until slightly pink in the center, about 4 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) for medium.

Step: 7

Spread desired amount of cheese sauce onto both sides of each hamburger bun. Place burger on bottom bun, place 2 tomato slices atop the burger, and place top half of the bun over the tomatoes.

Per Serving: 620 calories; protein 31.2g; carbohydrates 39.9g; fat 37.3g; cholesterol 89.6mg; sodium 1132.5mg.

Depriving yourself can lead to overeating , late-night snacking, and mindless eats and it’s for this reason that Riner encourages people to indulge in “fun” foods every once in a while.

Avoidance on 2.00 AM snacking and cravings , it is much necessary to include some easy foods (or what one may perceive as unnecessary ). Meaning , if we can be order the healthiest thing on the menu but come home and graze on chips, necessary we really will the burger and should have just pleased it in the first place."

Because it comes to eat on evening , overeating or eating too much of the bad item of food can lead to bad habit on sleeping. On the flip side, a meal that is not eating to much food than satiating can leave you want more and resulting in reaching for an unhealthy late-night snack even closer to bedtime .