Greek Burger

My wife informed me Thursday we were having burgers and fries for dinner on Friday. I didn't want to settle for your normal burger so I spent my morning at work figuring out how I could shake up the standard burger. I came up with my variation of the Greek Burger. This burger has both warmness of the burger coupled with the coolness of the yogurt sauce, crunch of the relish and tang of the red wine vinegar and yogurt. Here is what you'll need:

Burger (Makes 4-5 burgers)
1lb ground beef (80% beef/ 20% fat)
1/2 small yellow onion diced finely
1/4 cup fresh Oregano roughly chopped (2-2 1/2TBS dried)
1TBS Cumin
3 oz Crumbled Feta
~10 turns of the pepper mill (add more or less if you'd like)
1TBS salt (I use kosher salt)

Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate for approximately 1-2 hours in order for flavors to meld together. When ready to cook heat your grill pan or grill on high heat (you want a smoking hot pan). When the pan is hot brush a couple drops of oil (olive, canola, etc) on each side of the hamburger patty. Once in the pan turn the stove down to medium heat and cook 3 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook for 4 more minutes for a medium burger (assuming a 1/4 lbs burger). Let rest for about 5 minutes before eating so juices redistribute back into the meat.  

Cucumber Relish
1 cup peeled, diced and seeded English Cucumber
1/2 cup Diced Red Onion
1/2 cup Diced Red Pepper
1/2 cup Diced Green Pepper
1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar
2 cups Water
1 Tsp Cumin Seeds (1/2 tsp of Cumin Powder)
1 Tsp Mustard Seed
1 Tsp Celery Seed
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Bay Leaf

Dice all vegetables evenly. Bring the water, vinegar, and spices to a boil. Once boiling place cucumber, peppers, and onions in the pot. Bring back to a boil then remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool place the vegetables in a storage container with enough liquid to cover about 3/4 of the vegetables. Refrigerate till ready for uses.

Yogurt Sauce
1 Individual Serving of Greek Yogurt
Zest of 1 Lemon
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
2 tsp dried Mint
1 small clove of garlic diced finely
1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
pinch of salt
~ 5 turns of the pepper mill

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate till ready to use.  Works best if you can allow it to sit for about 1-2hrs prior to use so flavors can meld together. Note on the garlic clove. It is important the clove is very small or you will end up with a garlic flavored yogurt as opposed to a tangy lemony sauce that we are looking for.

When the burger is done spread a thin layer of the yogurt sauce on each side of the bun. Place the burger on one side and top with a thin layer of the the yogurt. Then add one leaf of lettuce and top with a scoop of the relish. Serve with your favorite french fry recipe. I chose Sweet Potato.