INGREDIENTS
For Your Whipped Feta
7oz block feta cheese
1 garlic clove
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4th cup yogurt
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ice cube
Salt and pepper to taste
For Your Spiced Lamb
Drizzle of olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
1/4th teaspoon cumin
1/4th teaspoon coriander
1/4th teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4th teaspoon paprika
Pinch of chili flakes
1 pound ground American Lamb
Salt and pepper to taste
To Assemble Pita Chips
Calabrian chili paste/chili oil/chili paste of your choice (optional)
Parsley roughly chopped for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Begin to make your whipped feta. In a blender, stand mixer or food processor, whip your feta: add in feta, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, yogurt, honey, salt, pepper and 1 ice cube (this helps it get smooth!) Mix well and whip until fully combined and creamy. Store in the fridge, covered, to set until ready to use.
Next, make your spiced lamb. In a wok or skillet on medium high, drizzle on olive oil. Add in your diced onions and season with salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, smoked and regular paprika, as well as chili flakes. Let everything sweat out for 4-5 minutes. Add in your ground lamb and brown, using a spatula to break apart the lamb into tiny pieces to allow for even browning, on medium high heat. Adjust to low when browning is complete. Once your lamb mixture is fully combined, and cooked through, and crisped, remove and set aside (around 20-25 minutes depending on desiring crispiness!) *USDA recommends cooking ground lamb to 160 degrees.
Optional: To make your own pita chips, take 3-4 slices of pita and slice into triangles. Season with salt, pepper and olive oil. Bake at 300 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until crunchy. Dust paprika and flakey salt when removed from the oven. Alternatively, you can just buy ready made pita chips. Now, time to assemble!
Spread your whipped feta on your pita chip, then top with your lamb mixture, a small spoon of chili paste and finish with chopped parsley and a little bit of flakey salt. Repeat, add all your appetizers on a tray and serve. Alternatively, you can serve this to be assembled table side. To display, keep a bowl of pita chips. On a platter, spread on your whipped feta, with all your ground lamb in the center, top with parsley and allow guests to make their own as well to dip/spread on their own chip.
