Over the past few week we have eaten burgers more than once a week.  I know.  Not exactly health food.  We did make them ourselves and tried some pretty different combinations of flavors.  These Greek burgers were the first in our series of burgers, and I thought they were delicious.  I love feta cheese, so the presence of that ingredient alone in the meat mixture had be smitten even while the meat was raw, but don’t worry, I did not do any taste testing until after they were cooked.

The burger recipe came from epicurious, but I used lean ground beef instead of turkey.  Ben cannot eat ground turkey.  Everything else in the recipe stayed the same.  The tomato jam recipe made me have second thoughts about doing this meal on a weeknight, but it was super quick and tasty.  The list of ingredients seems long, but it’s really just a matter of tossing them together and cooking them for 10 minutes.  You wouldn’t have to make the jam, but it’s a great alternative to ketchup on these burgers.  You could halve the jam recipe and have plenty for the burgers.  We used iceberg lettuce (because that’s what I had) but spinach or romaine would be better.

Greek Burgers

• 1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
• 2/3 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/3 cup (about 2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese plus additional for topping
• 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped pitted Kalamata olives (about 6)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil plus additional for brushing
• 1 small garlic clove, pressed
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 crusty rolls, halved horizontally
• Tomato Jam

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush grill rack with oil.

Gently mix beef, onion, 1/3 cup feta, 3 tablespoons chopped olives, 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, garlic, rosemary, generous 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and generous 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl. Form into 4 patties, each about 1 inch thick. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grill burgers until charred on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Grill cut side of rolls until toasted, about 2 minutes. Assemble burgers with Tomato Jam and additional feta and chopped olives.

Tomato Jam

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup (scant) finely chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup (scant) finely chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic; cook until onion is soft and translucent, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add diced tomatoes with juice, sugar, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until almost all liquid evaporates and mixture is reduced to about 2 1/4 cups, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cool.