Lamb Kofta Smash Burger with Tahini Sauce
This smash burger recipe brings together everything you love about crispy-edged smash burgers with the warm flavors of Egyptian lamb kofta. Instead of a plain beef patty, you get lamb seasoned with parsley and spices, smashed thin on a hot griddle until the edges brown. Topped with grilled onions, a tangy tahini pickle sauce, fresh tomato parsley salad, and a pile of matchstick fries right on the burger, it’s got layers of texture and flavor in every bite.
Kofta works surprisingly well in smash burger form because the high heat smashing of patties caramelizes the outside while keeping the inside juicy. Traditional kofta is kneaded until sticky so it clings to skewers, but this version stays loose and tender, mixed just enough to hold together when pressed. The lamb’s natural richness pairs with the tahini sauce, and the fries add crunch without making the whole thing feel heavy.
Why this recipe works
- 20% fat lamb keeps the patties juicy even when smashed thin, and beef works just as well
- The kofta mixture is made with grated onion that has been squeezed to remove excess moisture, keeping the patties juicy without falling apart on the griddle
- Minimal mixing keeps the texture tender instead of dense, giving you that classic smash burger consistency
- The tahini sauce is made with chunks of cucumber pickles to recreate the sweet salty bite of the best smash burgers
- Double fried matchstick potatoes give you textural crunch that doesn’t go soggy when piled on the burger
Ingredient overview
Use lamb mince with 20% fat for the best balance of flavor and juiciness. Ground beef works as a direct substitute if you want a milder taste, keep it around 20% fat. Fresh parsley goes into both the patties and the tomato salad, so buy a decent-sized bunch. For the fries, starchy frying potatoes like russets shred cleanly and crisp up well. The tahini sauce combines yogurt, tahini paste, lemon juice, and warm spices, then gets diced pickles stirred in for tang and sweetness. Any burger bun works for this recipe, we used brioche, but for something different, try serving in pita bread.
Kofta Mixture
Place the onion in a mini food processor and blend until finely chopped to a paste. Transfer to a sieve set over a bowl and squeeze out some of the excess liquid with a spoon. Remove only the easily squeezed moisture to prevent the kofta from falling apart while maintaining a juicy texture.
In a large mixing bowl, combine minced lamb, drained grated onion, and finely chopped parsley leaves. Add salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Mix and knead together using your hands, until well incorporated. Be careful not to overmix or the burgers will be tough. Pro tip: wear a glove when kneading to keep the onion’s smell from sticking to your hand.
The mixture is ready when all the ingredients are incorporated. You want the mix to cling to itself rather than crumble apart. To test, lift up a large handful: it shouldn’t fall apart cleanly, but it also shouldn’t stay in one solid clump. Instead, it should slowly stretch and tear, splitting into two pieces as you lift. That slow, tacky separation means the mixture has enough bind (from the fat and the working of the meat), without being overworked. Should you keep mixing it, you’ll end up with a bouncier texture to the meat that is more suitable for skewering.
Portion the mixture into 80 grams (3 ounces) balls or 8 roughly equal portions. Lightly shape each portion into a ball using your palms, tucking in any spiky edges. Let the patties rest for about 30 minutes so the proteins can relax before cooking.
Matchstick Fries
Using a mandolin with a small slicing attachment, slice the potatoes into matchstick thin pieces. Bring a pot of water with some vinegar to a boil. The vinegar helps to set the pectin in the potatoes so they keep their shape when fried. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, add a handful or two of the shredded potatoes to the boiling pot and blanch for 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Remove from the water to a tray lined with paper towels, and drain. Let the blanched potatoes cool for about 30 minutes before moving on to frying.
First Fry
Heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a pot to 180°C (350°F). Working in batches, add blanched potatoes to the hot oil. They will vigorously bubble as soon as they hit the oil. Fry for 30 to 40 seconds, stirring occasionally. When the vigorous bubbling stops, remove the fries before they take on too much color, and spread out on a paper towel lined tray. This first fry pushes out the extra water from the potatoes. Let the fries cool for 20 to 30 minutes to come back to room temperature before the second fry.
Second Fry
In a small container, combine the ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper for seasoning. Heat the oil again to 180°C (350°F).
Working in batches, fry the potatoes until they reach just slightly lighter than the golden color you want and are very firm and crispy, 30 to 90 seconds. Watch them closely as they brown quickly.
As each batch comes out of the oil, immediately toss with the cumin-salt-pepper mixture and spread out on trays to cool. Do not pile too high so the fries stay crispy. Once they’ve cooled completely they can be stored in an air tight container on the counter for 2 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
Tahini Burger Sauce
In Egypt, Kofta is always paired with Tahini. Turning it into a burger sauce just makes sense for this sandwich so we’ll add some diced pickles to give it that familiar texture and flavor. Start by making our standard tahini sauce. In a bowl, whisk together yogurt, tahini paste, water, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, ground cumin, and chili powder until well combined. The consistency should be roughly the same as mayonnaise or a tiny bit thinner. To adjust the thickness, you can add more tahini to thicken the sauce, or water to thin it out.
Next dice some burger pickles or sweet gherkin into small cubes and stir them into the sauce. The pickles will add a bit of tangy sweetness to the tahini.
Grilled Onions
Kofta is often served with grilled onion or a raw onion salad, for this sandwich the sweetness of grilled onions works best. Heat a griddle or large pan over medium-high heat. Add a little vegetable oil, the sliced onions along with salt. Toss to coat everything in oil. Once the onions are a little seared, pour a little water on the onions and then cover with a lid to trap in the steam. This will help the onions wilt and cook much faster. Cook the onions until they have fully softened and taken on a nice golden color.
Tomato and Parsley Salad
In a mixing bowl, combine thinly sliced tomatoes, roughly chopped parsley, and a pinch of salt. Toss together and let sit while you cook the other components.
Cooking and assembly
To cook the smash burgers use a large pan or griddle. A griddle allows more portions to be cooked at the same time, alternatively use multiple pans. Heat the griddle to medium-high heat, and start by toasting the buns. Oil the griddle then place the bun halves on the oil and toast for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly golden.
To smash the burgers prepare a burger press, a wide spatula, or even a small pan by lightly oiling the underside. Place a kofta ball on the hot griddle and press down on it with even pressure using the utensil, then slide off to release.
Cook the patties until the sides are gray most of the way upand only a thin layer of pink remains on top, about 2 minutes. Flip the patties and cook for another minute or so until done. They should have a deep golden brown color on both sides.
To assemble start by spreading the tahini burger sauce on both the top and bottom bun halves.
On the bottom bun, add a layer of the parsley and tomato salad.
Top with two kofta patties, a generous amount of grilled onions and a large handful of the matchstick fries. Place the top bun on the burger and serve immediately.
Kofta Smash Burger
Equipment
- Food processor or blender or, a medium sized box grater
- sieve
- Mixing bowl
- Mandolin with fine slicer
- Deep Pot for frying
- Griddle or large stainless steel pan
- Burger press or smashing utensil
Ingredients
For the kofta mixture
- 500 grams Minced lamb (20% fat (or substitute with beef))
- 55 grams Onion (grated and drained (about half an onion))
- 8 grams Parsley leaves (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ¾ teaspoon Black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
For the matchstick fries
- 3 large Frying potatoes
- 1 tablespoon White vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 liter Vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
Tahini Burger Sauce
- 75 grams Yogurt
- 50 grams Tahini paste
- 50 milliliters Water
- 20 milliliters Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cumin
- 50 grams Burger pickles or sweet gherkins (finely diced)
For the grilled onions
- 1 White or brown onion (sliced)
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
- 50-100 milliliters Water
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon Salt
Tomato parsley salad
- 1 large Tomato (thinly sliced)
- handful Parsley leaves (roughly chopped)
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon Salt
For assembly
- 4 Burger buns
Instructions
Prepare the kofta mixture
- Place the onion in a mini food processor or blender and process until finely chopped into a paste.55 grams Onion
- Transfer the chopped onion to a sieve set over a bowl and squeeze out some of the liquid. Remove only the excess easily removable moisture to prevent the kofta from falling apart.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the lamb mince, 55 grams of the drained grated onion, and the finely chopped parsley. Add the salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.500 grams Minced lamb, 8 grams Parsley leaves, 1 teaspoon Salt, ¾ teaspoon Black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon Cayenne pepper, 55 grams Onion
- Mix and knead the mixture together until well incorporated, about 2-3 minutes. The mixture is ready when it holds together and yet still tears apart easily. Be careful not to overmix or the burgers will be tough.
- Divide the mixture into 80-gram portions (this should yield roughly 8 patties). Lightly shape each portion into a smooth ball, tucking in any spiky edges. Rest the patties for about 30 minutes so the proteins can relax before cooking.
Prepare the fries
- Using a mandolin with a small slicing attachment, slice the potatoes into matchstick-thin pieces. Alternatively slice by hand.3 large Frying potatoes
- Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a splash of white vinegar and a little salt.1 tablespoon White vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, add a couple handfuls of the shredded potatoes to the boiling water and blanch for 90 seconds to 2 minutes . Remove and drain on a tray lined with paper towels. Cool for about 30 minutes before frying.3 large Frying potatoes
Cooking the fries
- In a small container, combine the salt, cumin, and black pepper.½ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- Heat 1 inch of vegetable (frying) oil in a pot to 180C (350F). Working in batches, fry the blanched potatoes for 30 to 40 seconds, stirring occasionally, until the vigorous bubbling stops. Remove before they take on too much color and spread out on a tray. Cool for 20 to 30 minutes until they return to room temperature.1 liter Vegetable oil
- Working in batches, fry the potatoes a second time until they reach just slightly lighter than a deep golden color and are very firm and crispy, 30 to 90 seconds. Watch closely as they brown quickly.
- As each batch comes out of the oil, immediately toss with the seasoning mixture and spread out on trays to cool. Do not pile too high on one tray. The fries will stay crispy for a few hours.
Make the Tahini Burger Sauce
- In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, tahini, water, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, cumin, and chili powder until well combined and all lumps are gone. The consistency should be roughly the same as mayonnaise.75 grams Yogurt, 50 grams Tahini paste, 50 milliliters Water, 20 milliliters Lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Black pepper, ¼ teaspoon Chili powder, ¼ teaspoon Ground cumin
- Dice the burger pickles small and stir them into the sauce.50 grams Burger pickles or sweet gherkins
Preparing the salad
- In a mixing bowl, combine the thinly sliced tomatoes, roughly chopped parsley, and ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon salt. Toss together. Let the salad sit while you cook the other components.1 large Tomato, handful Parsley leaves, ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon Salt
Cooking the grilled onions
- Heat a griddle or large pan over medium-high heat. Add a little vegetable oil, the sliced onions and salt. Toss to combine well.1 White or brown onion, 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil, ¼ to ½ teaspoon Salt
- Sprinkle a little water on the onions and cover with a lid to speed up wilting and cooking. Cook the onions until they have softened and taken on a nice golden color, 8-12 minutes. Repeat adding water as necessary.50-100 milliliters Water
Cooking and assembling the kofta smash burgers
- Heat the griddle over medium-high heat. Brush the buns with a little vegetable oil and toast for 1 to 2 minutes until they take on a light golden color.4 Burger buns
- Lightly oil a burger press or smasher. Place the kofta balls on the hot griddle and press down with even pressure, then slide off to release. Use the entire cooking area to smash multiple patties at once.
- Cook until the gray cooked part reaches near the top of the patty and only a very thin layer of pink remains, about 2 minutes. Flip the patties and cook until done, about 60-90 seconds. The patties should have a nice golden color all over.
- Spread the tahini sauce with pickles on both the top and bottom toasted bun halves. On the bottom bun, add a layer of the parsley and tomato salad.
- Add two kofta patties, a generous amount of the grilled onions, and a large handful of the crispy matchstick fries.
- Place the top bun on the burger and serve immediately.
