Feta is not just for crumbling - who knew?! It’s time to crack that whip, and whip it, whip it good! Zipping the feta around in a food processor with just a few added ingredients gives you a light and fluffy feta! The possibilities are endless for this little whipped dip. Here I used it in its most basic form as a topping for tasty lamb burgers. But feel free to add: any number of spices or herbs, cucumbers, tomatoes, fruit, tapenade, harissa, hot sauce, honey, use it on toast, on meats, sweet, savory….you see, endless! Whip up a batch this weekend and let us know - What did you add to your whipped feta?

The feta we carry at the shop is soooooo good. It's an exquisite sheep's milk feta made by cheesemaker Tastanis on the Greek island of Lesbos. Crumbly in texture, it boasts clean, sweet, and mildly grassy flavors that are characteristic of high quality sheep's milk. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground lamb

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped mint

• 2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary

• 2 teaspoons minced shallot

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon salt*

• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

• 1/2 pound Greek Feta crumbled*

• 3 tablespoons Labneh*

• 1/3 cup olive oil + 2 tablespoons*

• 2 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 lemon, zested

• 1 small red onion, sliced thinly

• 2 cups arugula 

• 8 mini burger buns or small rolls*

*Items with an asterisk can be found at The Cheese Shop of Salem!

Directions

1. Place the feta and labneh in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until just mixed.  

2. With the motor running, drizzle in 1/3 cup olive oil and process until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add in 1 tablespoon lemon juice and zest, and pulse about 3 times to incorporate.

3. In a small bowl, toss the arugula with 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and lemon juice. 

4. In a medium sized bowl, add the lamb, mint, rosemary, shallot, cumin, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Using your hands, lightly mix ingredients together until incorporated. 

5. Gently form lamb mixture into small patties, about 2 ounces each, 8 patties total.

6. Brush patties with olive oil and grill on medium-high heat, about 3 minutes per side.

7. Brush the buns with olive oil and grill on medium-low about 2 minutes, until toasted and lightly browned.

8. To assemble, top each bottom bun with arugula, followed by the lamb pattie, a tablespoon of whipped feta and a slice of red onion.  

Yield: 1 cup whipped feta