Ingredients

• 120g/4½oz hard sheep’s cheese
• preferably a Berkswell
• coarsely grated
• 800g/1lb 12oz coarse lamb mince
• fattier the better
• 1 red onion
• finely chopped
• 4 anchovy fillets
• finely chopped
• 8 small gherkins
• finely chopped
• 4 tsp capers
• drained
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 burger buns

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• Divide the cheese into four piles
• and roll each one into a tight ball. Set aside.
• Place the lamb mince in a large mixing bowl. Add the onion
• anchovies
• gherkins and capers and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix the contents of the bowl together
• ideally by hand. Divide the mince mixture into four.
• One by one flatten each pile of mince into the palm of your hand
• leaving a little well in the centre. Place the cheese ball in the well and mould the mince around the cheese to form a tight
• plump burger shape that is almost spherical.
• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat and brown the burgers.
• If the panhandle is ovenproof
• transfer the pan to the oven to bake. If not
• carefully transfer the burgers to an oven tray and bake for 30 minutes.
• Slice the buns and when the burgers are cooked
• soak the cut side of the bread in the pan juices. Fill the buns and serve.