Harissa-Spiced Lamb Burgers with Sweet Potato Wedges

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 4 sweet potatoes , cut into long wedges
• olive oil
• 400g lean minced lamb
• 1 small red onion , grated
• 1 tbsp harissa
• ½ cucumber , cut into small dice
• 150ml pot natural yogurt
• 4 crusty rolls
• a small bag rocket , to serve

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Toss the sweet potato wedges with 1 tbsp olive oil and some salt. Put on a baking tray in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes until tender.

Mix together the lamb, onion and harissa and season really well. Form into 4 burgers. Griddle or grill for 4-5 minutes on each side until cooked through. Mix the cucumber into the yogurt and season.

Put the burgers into the buns on top of some rocket leaves. Put a dollop of the yogurt on each burger and serve the rest on the side with the sweet potato wedges.


Gosh, you wouldn't believe I make money from photography would you!? In my defense, as soon as I've cooked I just want to eat, so take a quick snap and gobble before it gets cold!

So, tonight's dinner was as above. I just happened to stumble upon the recipe as I was browsing the BBC Good Food Site and thought it looked like my cup of tea. I am a big harissa fan, so to find another use for it is fab.

I was surprised to find how easy the burgers were to make - it was literally a case of bunging in the lamb, the onion and harissa, mixing them all up, et voila. The smell of them cooking took me right back to my school days - lamb kofte on a Thursday. I do love lamb, it's my favourite meat for roasting, and chops... but I don't think I would choose to cook minced lamb in lump-form again like this, as it just reminds me too much of school dinners.

Don't get me wrong - the dinner was lovely, I don't think I'd do it again for myself. I'm 99% sure when Jack has his when he's in from work, he will l-o-v-e love it, Im just not a minced-lamb-in-lump-form fan, which I evidently forgot until the reminiscent aromas hit me.

I did, however, discover an absolutely delicious accompaniment to meals in the sweet potato wedges - I've never tried them like that before, and they went just perfectly with the cucumber and yoghurt dip. I will 100% be making them again, with the dip, and might even try a little harissa in with the youghurt.