Bun-less Lamb Patties with Dill Butter, Plums, and Tomato

I worked with Claire Matern to help Local Roots refresh their website for their fall CSA. Every season, their inventory changes, so we needed to showcase the latest offerings as well as a few simple recipe ideas.

With the addition of heavy cream and a little bit of waiting (only a little, I promise), you’ll have soft, juicy lamb burgers for dinner. Sure, you can have them on slider buns but they play well with just tomatoes and plums here or if you like, a bed of grains or greens, too.

Lamb Patties with Dill Butter

Serves 2 for a meal or 4 for a snack

Things you'll need:
1 pound Local Roots ground lamb 2 tablespoons salted butter, softened 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped 2 tablespoons heavy cream	1 ripe plum, pitted 2 Roma tomatoes, diced Zest of 1 lemon Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Mix the butter and dill together in a small bowl, set aside.

2. Crumble the lamb into a mixing bowl with your fingers.

3. Pour the heavy cream and lemon zest over the lamb and toss to coat.

4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or up to overnight.

5. Form the lamb into four equal patties.

6. Heat a dry frying pan on medium heat. Lamb should be fatty enough to fry in its own juices, but if it looks like burning, add a bit of olive oil to get it going.

7. Pan fry the lamb for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until they reach an internal temperature of at last 130 to 135°F for medium; 140 to 145 F for medium-well and 150 to 155°F for well done.

8. Transfer the patties to a plate and garnish each with a dollop of dill butter, a bit of salt and pepper if you like.

9. Scatter the plums and tomatoes around the patties.

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Let me know if you try this recipe out!

If you'd like a discount on Local Roots subscriptions, enter the code RANDWICHES at checkout.

Modern Mezze Menu: Lamb Chops Smothered in Pistachio Tapanade

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen who adapted from Anne Burrell | Shot by Riley Ziesig

I always thought "lamb pops" were cute but a hassle for such little meat. I remember stumbling upon the recipe for these lamb chops with pistachio tapanade. I thought, "Wow, that must have been a huge lamb!" No, that wasn't the case. It was a simple butchering trick that gives your lamb chops a little more dino-DNA.

The trick is to eliminate two bones from an 8 rib rack and voila! Huge honkin' lamb chunks that rival your Thanksgiving drumstick.

The lamb is then salted to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before searing on high for two minutes. The recipe called for olive oil, but I like to brush butter on after a sear...because why not? That way, you don't let the milk fat burn during the high heat period.

Each chop gets a generous schmear of pistachio tapenade. It is so bright green on account of the Castelvetrano olives I picked up from Fairway. They are plump and firm if you get them with pits (don't eat the pits!). If you are on a low-salt diet or are new to olives, don't use so much of this tapenade. Try some on bread before you put it on the lamb.

The chops are finished in a 425F degree over for 4 to 5 minutes depending how done you like your meat. 

I couldn't wait for Riley to stop taking photos and kept asking, "Can I eat it yet?"

Try it! Tag @Randwiches on Instagram if you do.