• Hamburger - Any patty will do, even a veggie patty, or maybe even a portobello mushroom. I personally like to make a bunch of hamburger patties in advance and freeze them. The blend of the hamburger pictured is Worcestershire sauce, pepper, chili flakes, and a chiffonade of lots of fresh basil. I also want to try a 3:1 hamburger to sausage ratio. I’ve heard it makes it quite good, but of course, adding fat always does.
• Onion - I love red onions or any one you can find with lots of flavor.
• Flat bread - Any sort of flat bread that can can be found in ethnic shops, from ciabatta to pita.
• Yogurt - I prefer a thick yogurt, usually sold as Greek yogurt. This just means it’s strained yogurt. I’ll probably be doing a post later about how to make your own. Either way, you don’t want something watery.
• Spice - Do this with any of your favorite spices. I just used cayenne here. I think I might want to try garam masala and turmeric the next time I do this.
• Avocado - Though I suppose this falls under the “additional tasty fats” category, it was the perfect texture counterpoint to the seared crispiness and moist juiciness of the hamburger and the slight crackle of toasted bread. Yogurt on top, avocado chunks on bottom. It works real well.

Grill your hamburger. I got a cast iron skillet piping hot in a 400 degree oven, then threw my partially thawed patty in. It’s very important that it not be completely frozen… you want heat to be able to reach its cold cold heart.

I pre-thawed it in the microwave, which is, of course, very low on my list of defrosting method pros and cons, but I usually have the hamburgers for convenience and microwaving is convenient. Also convenient would just be cutting the onion and just throwing it to caramelize in the grease from the hamburger (I’m pro pressing hamburger if it’s on a flat top). However, if you take the time to put a little vinegar and olive oil on it, you’ll be rewarded with another little note of flavor in the final product. I used rice vinegar, but balsamic or really, whatever you have would be fine. Caramelize your onions.

Cut lavash to fit your burger. It should just overlap the edges of whatever patty you’re using. Toast it in the 400 degree oven. The toasting is optional, I suppose, but the perfect crispy edges help give the hamburger structural integrity.

Build your hamburger:

• lavash bun,
• avocado (this also keeps the lavash from getting too soggy),
• hamburger,
• spice,
• yogurt,
• lavash bun