Back in the 1990s, Pete Boothroyd was running a health-food concession stand—smoothies, juices, salad sorts of things—in the corner of a fitness center on Traverse City’s Centre Street. When the gym closed in 2000, Boothroyd expanded his stand to a 60-seat lunch spot (breakfast, too, on Saturdays), and began honing his food obsession into a menu that has created a legion of loyal return customers who adore his homemade soups, salad dressings and fresh inventive salads and sandwiches. Centre Street is so loved, in fact, that our readers voted it the Red Hot Best Lunch venue of 2017. Pete tells us the recipe below is a riff on the lamb burger that shows up occasionally on Centre Street’s specials board.
Delhi Lamb Sliders With Green Raita Sauce and Grilled Long-Stem Artichoke Hearts & Asparagus
Lamb Sliders
- 2 pounds ground lamb
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño, minced
- 2 tablespoons minced red onion
- Juice and zest of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste (or grated fresh ginger)
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 dozen miniature cracked wheat or sourdough buns
- Pickled red onion
- Arugula leaves
Asparagus & Artichoke
- 1⁄2 cup cooked chickpeas
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds asparagus
- 8–10 marinated artichokes with stems
- Salt
Green Raita Sauce
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1⁄2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Mix ingredients together. Blanch asparagus in salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Cut artichoke hearts in half and coat the asparagus and artichokes in olive oil and lemon juice, and salt lightly. Combine lamb burger ingredients and form into patties. Grill vegetables and patties until desired doneness. Assemble the burgers on buns with sauce, pickled red onion and arugula leaves. Spoon chickpeas over the grilled veggies before serving.