Cook's Country

-"Cook's Country" is about more than just getting dinner on the table.

We're also fascinated by the people and stories behind the dishes.

We go inside kitchens in every corner of the country to learn how real people cook.

And we look back through time to see how history influences the way we eat today.

We bring that inspiration back to our test kitchen so we can share it with you.

This is "Cook's Country."

Today on "Cook's Country," Morgan makes Bridget grilled lamb burgers, Hannah reviews our top picks for grill cookware, and Christie prepares sweet potato fritters for Julia.

That's all right here on "Cook's Country."

-Funding for this program has been provided by the following.

-Monument Grills -- made for everyone from the backyard master to the weekend host and the beginner just starting out.

Monument brings people together.

Monument Grills -- the everybody everywhere grill.

-Teakhaus, inspired by a passion for cooking and respect for our planet.

Each board is handcrafted from sustainably sourced wood designed for every step, from food prep to presentation.

Teakhaus.

-When it comes to beef burgers, I'm a little bit of a purist in terms of toppings.

Just a little bit of cheese, maybe, but you can leave the salad on the side, please.

Now, when it comes to lamb burgers, they've got big flavor so they can take a bit more oomph.

And speaking of oomph, we've got the queen of oomph.

Morgan's here, and she's going to show us how to make some fantastic burgers for the grill.

-Yeah, Bridget, lamb can handle some oomph.

So here, I've got a nice spice rub for these because lamb's so bold, it can handle it.

-Definitely.

-So I have 2 teaspoons of salt.

And to that I'm going to add a teaspoon and a half of cumin.

And then a teaspoon of pepper.

And then 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, which the warm spice also goes really nice with lamb.

So I'm going to mix this up.

The spices are going to do two things for me here.

Both they're going to add that flavor and they're also going to help the lamb burgers brown on the grill.

So, speaking of lamb burgers, I have 2 pounds of ground lamb here.

And I'm going to start shaping this into patties.

I have a few deep thoughts on burgers.

-Okay.

-So one is that you really need to be gentle when you handle them.

You see people who take the meat and they handle it like Play-Doh and they, like, mash it, and that gives it just this really sausage-y texture.

It doesn't give you this tender, juicy burger.

It gives you a dense burger.

This applies for any ground meat.

It's not just lamb.

So I'm dividing the ground lamb into just four equal portions.

They'll be about 8 ounces each.

So now I'm just going to shape into patties.

Again I'm using a gentle hand so I'm not smashing it down into patties.

I'm just kind of gently pressing it.

I'm looking for them to be about 4 1/2 inches across, which will mean they'll be 3/4 inches or so thick.

Alright.

Let's see how these are doing.

-That's pretty close.

-Yes.

-Yeah, 4 1/2.

So burger principle number two -- divot.

What you do is you just press down about 1/4 inch deep but about an inch across.

And you just make this small little divot.

When burgers are on a grill, if you think about the heat's coming from the bottom.

So the bottom of the meat's cooking and it shrinks as it cooks.

So it starts to buckle and create a little ball.

If you have this divot, there's space for the rest of the meat to go.

-Very nice.

-So I'm just looking to go about an inch across and then 1/4 inch down, and then I'll have a nice little divot in here.

Alright.

So I'm going to freeze these until they're firm.

So I'll just put them in the freezer for about half an hour up to 45 minutes.

-Okay.

Great.

-Bridget, while our burgers freeze, I want to make a really flavorful topping for these.

-Okay, yes.

-So I'm making a tomato chutney.

So I have a pound of plum tomatoes.

I've cut most of them into 1/2-inch pieces, but I'll just show you what I do.

So I go in with a paring knife and I core it, and I just kind of go around in a little circular motion and out it comes.

-Lovely.

-Easy.

And now I'm just going to cut it into 1/2-inch pieces.

This is not a place you need to be super precious because it's all going to turn into chutney.

-Got it.

-And then I've also got some ginger.

So I want this to be really flavorful tomato chutney, and ginger packs a lot of punch.

When I use ginger, I just like to peel off the skin with a spoon.

It just is so easy.

I'm going to get 2 teaspoons from this.

I'm just using a rasp-style grater here.

It's nice and fine.

Alright.

That looks like plenty.

Let's see.

2 teaspoons.

I'm just gonna put this right in my pan.

One thing that's nice about this chutney is you just dump everything in and you're good to go.

Okay, let me add in the rest of these tomatoes.

I also have some dark brown sugar.

So this is 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar.

It adds a really nice caramelly flavor.

It'll make it really thick and syrupy and nice on a burger.

-Okay.

-And then I have 6 tablespoons of cider vinegar.

I have a jalapeo that I minced up.

I took out the stem, but I left the seeds in here because we're going after flavor.

-Hot dog!

-But if you don't like spice, you could always leave out those seeds.

And then I have 3 minced garlic cloves.

I've also got 2 tablespoons of fish sauce.

-Interesting.

-Yeah.

So it's not actually gonna taste fishy.

It's just going to add some savoriness.

-Yes.

-And here I have 3/4 of a teaspoon of five-spice.

Alright.

So I'm going to bring this up to a boil over medium-high heat.

And then I'm going to let it roll until it gets thick and syrupy.

It'll take anywhere between 10 and 15 minutes.

Bridget, it's thickened up nicely.

-Ooh!

-You can see it's a little syrupy around the edges.

I just feel like once the bubbles are bigger, you can tell it's on its way.

I'm going to turn off the heat because I'm going to mash it to get these tomatoes to an even consistency.

I'll be a little gentle because we're in a nonstick skillet here, so I don't want to scratch the pan or anything.

Alright.

I think we're pretty evenly mashed.

-Definitely.

-Okay.

So I'm just going to cook this over medium heat and I'll know it's ready when I can drag my spatula through it and it'll leave a trail through.

Probably take about 2 minutes.

-Okay.

-Alright.

So you can see how I can clearly drag my spatula through this, and what I mean with that is like even the syrupy liquid, it'll hold its shape on the pan.

It's nice and thick, nice and syrupy.

I'm going to turn it off heat.

And I'm just going to move it to a little container here.

It'll continue to thicken as it cools, so I'm going to let it cool at least an hour just so everything can tighten up.

But it can be refrigerated for up to a month.

Bridget, it's time to grill.

-Great.

-So it's all been preheating for about 15 minutes.

Everything's over high heat.

-Okay.

-I'm going to turn it all down to medium.

Now, per usual, I want to clean and oil the grates.

The cleaning really gets off any debris, and then this oil will just get nice, slick grill grates.

Now we have our burgers.

They've been freezing, so they're nice and firm, but they're not quite frozen, not like a frozen patty.

And then I have that spice mix from earlier.

-Gorgeous.

-I'm going to flip these with a spatula just because they're so nice and frozen right now.

They're nice and firm, but we really want to keep that nice shape.

-Got it.

-So... -Yeah, and you're not trying to handle it too much there.

-Exactly.

Alright.

Second side.

And last little bit.

Make sure everything's nice and covered.

Time to grill.

-Okay.

-Alright.

Would you mind holding that for me?

-Sure.

-Okay.

So now I'm going to just place these on the grill and I'm going divot side down.

That way when it starts to hit the heat, that'll kind of flatten out and have space for it.

-Perfect.

-Let me get these last two.

Now I'm going to cover this.

I'm gonna let these roll about 5 minutes.

And in that time, I'm not going to move them at all, and I'll know they're ready when they don't stick to the grill anymore, and they'll have some nice browning on the bottom.

Let's check these out.

Oh, yeah.

See?

-[ Gasps ] -That's like how you -- That's how you know when it's easy, when it's easy to flip.

-No sticking.

-Yeah.

If they're still sticking to the grill grates, you just want to let it go another minute or two.

-Got it.

-Alright.

Now I'm going to let these go on the second side.

So I really like lamb cooked to medium.

So I'm going to let it go to 135 degrees, which will take about seven minutes.

If you want to do medium rare, you can, and that's just a few minutes shorter and it's 125 degrees you're looking for.

-Okay.

-Alright.

Burgers are almost ready.

So let's get our buns ready.

-Okay.

-Alright, so I've already buttered these guys.

I'm just going to pop them on here.

They'll honestly take like a minute or two.

Not long at all.

-No.

-Alright, let's check out these buns.

Oh, yeah.

-Ooh!

Nice.

-Mm-hmm.

Last one.

Okay.

-Love it.

-Now I got my space for my burgers.

-Oh, yes.

Definitely.

-So let's check these now.

It's probably a little safer to go in with your spatula.

Lift it up and then actually go in from the side over here and then yep.

Look.

-134.

-Perfect.

-Nails it every time.

-Now, I purposely am using the wire rack.

That's just going to protect this really beautiful crust we have.

We're almost ready to eat but I do want to let these rest, so they can rest 5 to 10 minutes.

And we can head on inside.

-Alright, let's go.

-Bridget, they've been resting 10 minutes... -Good.

-...which means we get to eat.

-Yay!

-Alright.

So I'm gonna get one of these brioche buns here over for you.

-Toasted beautifully.

-And then a little assemblage.

And now we've got some toppings, so we've got our tomato chutney.

-Yes.

-I'm going to smear some on my top bun over here.

I know you don't like salad on your burgers.

-Yes.

-But I've got some red onion.

-You know what?

It's lamb.

-It's lamb.

-Onion and lamb together -- perfect.

-They're so good together.

It adds a nice little bite.

I love a raw onion, too.

And then, instead of something like American cheese, we got some feta.

-Okay, great.

-So here I've just taken a big block of feta and I've actually cut it into slabs.

And I'm just going to layer that on top of the burger.

I'll crumble it up a little bit if I need just to get it to fit.

-Now, that is one impressive burger.

-Impressive burger for an impressive cooking companion.

-Thank you.

I'm going to need a bigger mouth.

My goodness.

Alright.

-Alright.

Mm.

-That is a juicy, juicy... I mean, people are going to talk about how juicy these burgers are.

Beautifully cooked, I might say.

Well-spiced.

I'm getting that beautiful char that you worked so hard to get.

-I know.

You get that really nice char.

Both you get the five-spice and that cinnamon and cumin on the burger.

-Mm.

-It's really moist.

It's really well-cooked.

I love the feta with it too.

-The feta and the chutney -- -Mm-hmm.

-I could almost just make a sandwich of that together.

-Mm-hmm.

It's like designed to work with the lamb.

It's like the feta, that five-spice, that chutney, the red onion.

-Morgan, this is outrageously fantastic.

One of the best burgers I've ever had.

-That means so much coming from you.

-So I really appreciate it.

And I don't even remember what a beef burger is.

-Thanks, Bridget.

-Thank you.

Now, if you got your napkins ready and you want to make this super-juicy burger, it starts by freezing lamb patties until they're just firm, season the patties with warm spices right before grilling and serve with a homemade tomato chutney, feta, and red onion.

So from "Cook's Country," it's Morgan's finest grilled lamb burgers.

-These are my finest.

Thank you.

-This is -- This is one of your best moments.

-Walk into nearly any hardware store and you'll find dozens of grill accessories and cookware.

And Hannah is here to help us separate the treasure from the trash.

-Yes, we just tested a whole bunch of grilling cookware.

I know you love to grill, so I'm here to give you the 411.

We tested a whole bunch of grill cookware, and I brought our four favorites with me here today.

-Very cool.

-Come down here with me.

Let's talk about grill baskets first.

This is the Vencino Kitchenware grill basket set.

It comes with one large, two small, and it costs about $40.

Let me hand you this.

Go ahead and throw that on the grill over there.

-Nice handles.

-Vegetables coated lightly in oil didn't stick.

Beautiful browning.

They cooked evenly.

And we like baskets for when you want to do a little tossy toss.

You can definitely do a little tossy toss with these.

-And for things that tend to separate or are very thin and they fall through the grill grates, that is so annoying.

-Exactly.

And you don't always have time to skewer things, so this is a quick and easy method.

Speaking of easy, you'll notice that it's not that fine mesh that a lot of baskets are made of.

It's this, you know, perforated stainless steel.

So much easier to clean.

-Ah.

Very cool.

-You can even put that in the dishwasher if you want.

-Ooh!

-Next up, this is the Weber Deluxe grilling tray.

Let me have you try that on the grill.

-I like the surface area on this.

-Exactly.

So this is when you want things to spread out a little more, like chicken breasts that you want to turn.

If you're worried about them sticking to your grill grates, do it on this instead.

Nothing stuck.

Now, check this out.

Go ahead and put it on this baking sheet right here.

-Oh, that was designed to do that, wasn't it?

-They must have done it because it's tailored perfectly for it.

And, you know, these have holes things can drip through.

This just makes transporting this to and from the grill so easy.

That costs about 30 bucks.

-Okay.

-Next, are you a rib girl?

-Yeah, and that's a lot of ribs to cook at once.

-That is five full racks of ribs.

So this is the Weber Premium grilling rack.

It costs about 30 bucks.

Five racks of ribs is more than most grills can fit flat.

-Yeah.

-I've seen these before that hold maybe three at most.

Five -- That's a lot.

-Yeah.

Like three, your grill can do that flat.

-Mm-hmm.

-You know, where you want to get them standing upright like this, you want to be doing more of them.

It cooked them perfectly.

We had room to maneuver in here because, you know, sometimes you need little adjustments when you're making ribs.

It was also very easy to clean.

This whole thing can actually go right in the dishwasher.

-Oh, wow.

And the handles are sturdy because that's a lot of meat.

You don't want to drop that on the ground.

-It's like $200 of meat right there.

-Yeah, exactly.

That's very cool.

-Last up, I know you like your flat-top griddle.

-I do, I do.

-Alright.

So I was very excited to show you this.

This is the Little Griddle.

-Aww!

-Go ahead and -- I know.

Will you put that on there?

-Alright.

-Now, this will turn your charcoal grill or your gas grill into a flat-top griddle.

-Very clever.

-It comes in rectangular as well for your gas grill.

This is the one that's tailored for the charcoal grill.

It has this backing right here.

So none of your precious smash burgers go over the side.

A grease trough drains everything away, which, you know, flare-ups... -That's it.

-...can be a safety hazard.

It's also really easy to clean.

This is pretty simple.

-Mm-hmm.

What's the price point on this?

-$70.

-That's pretty good considering that if you buy an actual griddle, it could be hundreds.

-$300.

-Yeah.

And space-wise, especially if you already have a gas grill, adding another flat-top grill is a lot for most people.

-Hannah, this is a really cool lineup.

Thank you.

-Thank you.

-If you want to learn more about grill cookware, check out our website.

Sweet potatoes have a long history, dating back roughly 5,000 years to the tropical regions of South America.

But it didn't take long for this delicious and nutritious crop to find its way all over the world and into a variety of recipes, including fritters, which is what Christie is going to show us how to make today.

-I sure am.

The sweet, creamy flesh of sweet potatoes is actually so much more interesting when you add some flavors and textures that contrast it.

-Mm-hmm.

-So making them into fritters and frying them is going to give us a crispy edge.

And then we're also going to balance out that sweetness with a few bold, savory ingredients.

-Ooh, fun.

-Yeah.

-And who doesn't love a fritter?

-I love them.

We have to cook the potatoes first, so I have 1 1/2 pounds of sweet potatoes.

I've already prepped two of them, and this is what I've done, so I'm just going to top and tail it.

I like to do that first.

I like to top and tail it so that I have a little edge to work from when I peel and we're just gonna peel this all off.

Now, the interesting thing, and the way we're going to cook the potatoes is we're not boiling them.

-Okay.

-We're actually going to steam them.

-Hmm.

-And that's going to allow them to hold on to more of their flavor.

-Okay.

-And I'm going to prep them to work especially well with the steaming method.

-Okay.

-So we're not going to cut them into cubes.

I'm actually going to slice them.

-Ah, nice even thickness.

Cooks at the same rate.

-Exactly.

About 1/4-inch slices.

Okay.

So let's move over to the stovetop.

I have a medium saucepan and we'll add all the potatoes.

And now I'm adding just 1/4 cup of water.

That's really all we need to give us the steam that we need to cook the potatoes.

And I'm also adding a teaspoon and a half of table salt.

-Ooh, that's a lot.

-It is.

But it's all the salt we're adding to this recipe.

And we want to make sure that the potatoes, which are the star, have really good flavor.

-Gotcha.

-Just give it a little toss.

Now we'll cover it, and I'm going to set it over medium-low heat.

Now we'll cook these until the potatoes are nice and tender and the water has all evaporated.

And that'll take about 20 minutes.

And I'll go in and give them a stir every now and then.

-Okay.

-Let's check on those potatoes.

Alright.

So we determine the tenderness by poking them.

And this paring knife should go in and not meet any resistance.

-Mm-hmm.

-Looks good.

And as you can see, most of that liquid has been absorbed.

-Yeah, and they're really starting to fall apart.

-They really are.

Yeah.

So this is perfect.

So I'm going to turn off my heat.

And now we're going to give them a little mash.

Now, I want to have some texture in here.

We don't really want pureed potatoes.

-So a few chunks.

-A few chunks.

Leaving them a little chunky is going to give them some texture, make them a little craggy on the outside.

That looks good.

-Okay.

-Now we just want to let these cool until they're not hot to the touch any longer.

And this is a great stopping point if you want to do a make ahead, because we could just transfer these to a bowl, cover it with some plastic wrap and refrigerate them up to two days.

-Oh, clever.

-Yeah.

We're just going to wait 30 minutes.

-Okay.

-While the potatoes are cooling, let's get started on the other ingredients.

So I have four scallions and I'll just trim those.

And we're going to use the whites and the green parts.

Slice them nice and thin.

And now our herbs.

So, I have some dill here and some cilantro.

And we want about 1/4 cup.

Although I feel like when it's these two herbs I would definitely measure with my heart.

-[ Laughs ] I like that, measure with my heart.

-And it doesn't have to be super fine.

Again, we're going for texture as well as flavor.

So just a good chop is fine.

-That smells good, Christie.

-And we'll get the cilantro.

And we can use the leaves and the stems here.

We have another version of this recipe that uses chipotle and cheddar cheese.

-Oh, yum.

Chipotle and sweet potatoes is good.

-Super good.

So that is on the website.

-Okay.

That looks perfect.

-Thank you.

Okay, we are done with chopping.

Now we can bring our potatoes up.

It's not hot anymore.

And all of these gorgeous greens can go right into the pot.

We'll add our feta now.

So this is 3 ounces of crumbled feta which is about 3/4 of a cup.

Now we want to make sure that the fritters aren't just pasty.

So we're going to add 2 large eggs, which will help to lighten the mixture and also help to bind it, and then to work with the eggs, I'm also adding 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour.

I have a teaspoon of ground cumin.

Nice warm flavor will work really nicely with the cilantro.

And 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper.

So we'll just give this a good stir.

Make sure the eggs get all mixed in.

Now I want to make sure everything's combined.

But I don't want to break up all of those pieces of feta either.

Alright, so we're just about ready to get frying.

-Okay.

-Let's clear out the things we don't need anymore.

And I have a 12-inch nonstick skillet on my burner.

I'm going to turn this heat to medium and I'm heating up 1/2 cup of oil.

-Okay.

-You can use vegetable oil or peanut oil.

You want something neutral flavored.

And we want to heat this to 350 degrees.

-Okay.

-Let's check the temp.

-It's shimmering.

-It is.

We're looking for 350 degrees.

And we're at 350.

-Okay.

-Alright.

Now I'm going to work with six fritters at a time.

-Okay.

-I'm using a 1/4 cup measure that I've greased because this is a little sticky and it's just a pretty scant 1/4 cup.

So I'm going to add these directly to the oil.

And you don't have to worry about the shape just yet.

Now, once they're in, I'm going to use the back of a spoon to just smoosh these a little bit into about 3-inch fritters.

-Okay.

-Now, these only take 2 or 3 minutes on each side.

So as soon as you have them flattened, it's a good idea to start looking.

Now, we want these to be a deep brown color.

This was my first one.

It's a good idea to keep track of where you started.

Oh, that looks nice.

-That's gorgeous.

-So you get under it with one and use the other one to help you transfer so that you don't splash yourself with oil and also to kind of help maintain the integrity of these rather delicate little fritters.

Oh, look at that.

-Beautiful.

-Look great.

-Mm-hmm.

-So now that we've flipped them, we're just going to let them go for another 2 to 3 minutes on the second side.

We want deep brown.

They're going to be fully cooked on the inside.

Obviously the only thing we have in there to worry about is the egg.

-Right.

-And that'll cook through very quickly.

These will just take another 2 to 3 minutes on this side.

And I already have my landing zone ready.

I have a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack and a few layers of paper towels.

Just over half.

-Okay.

-Want to take a peek?

-Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

-That's looking nice.

-That looks great.

-So now I'll transfer these to the paper towels.

Just double-check all of them.

Sometimes you have some hot spots.

This is why it's really helpful to remember the order that you put them into the skillet.

-Right.

-Now we're going to let these sit on the paper towels for 15 seconds on the first side.

So by the time you've got them all on the paper towels, you're probably ready to flip.

And this is just to blot off some of the excess oil.

And we'll flip them over onto the second side, again gently working with our two spatulas.

And then by the time you're finished, we're probably ready to move these over off the paper towels because we don't want them to sog out, and having them up off the bottom of the pan is going to give them a little more air circulation.

Alright, now we're ready to start our second batch.

But this soaked up a lot more oil than I thought that it would.

-I was going to mention you're not frying any more.

That's more of a saut.

-And that happens sometimes.

And so that's when you want to just make sure that you add a little extra oil to the skillet just to make sure we have a nice thin layer.

So that looks good.

We just have a nice thin layer.

I'm going to heat this back up over medium heat.

We want to get it back to 350.

And we'll do the next batch.

-Okay.

-They're all ready.

-They're gorgeous.

-[ Laughs ] -They are gorgeous.

And I love that you're serving them with lemon.

-It's so nice to have that little bright bit of sharpness.

And we also have some sour cream.

-Mm!

-And if you're wondering if you should, you absolutely should.

-[ Laughs ] Got it.

-May I serve you?

-Absolutely.

-Oh, boy.

Look at those.

Grab some lemon.

Give it a squeeze.

Don't forget to dollop.

-Alright.

There we go.

Oh, Christie, I'm really looking forward to this.

-[ Laughs ] -Mm!

-I heard a little crisp.

-Yeah, that is delicious.

The interior texture is silky, but the exterior texture around the edges has that little crisp edge.

Oh!

And then you get the dill and the cilantro and the scallions and the feta.

I don't know that I've ever had dill with sweet potatoes before.

Kind of a magic combination.

-It is such a magical combination.

I mean, I'm Team Dill 100%.

There's very little I don't enjoy it on, but I do think that it just -- it just says hello to you here, and then you get some texture because you have -- you hit a little potato, maybe hit a little scallion.

-Christie, these are incredible.

Thank you.

-You're so welcome.

-If you want to make these sweet potato fritters, start by cooking the potatoes in a pot with just 1/4 cup of water.

Mash the potatoes and combine with egg, feta, and herbs, then shallow fry the fritters in a skillet.

From "Cook's Country," a delicious recipe for sweet potato fritters with feta, dill, and cilantro.

You can find this recipe and all the recipes from this season along with our product reviews and select episodes at our website, CooksCountry.com/TV.

-Let us help with dinner tonight.

Visit our website anytime for the newest seasons, rigorously tested recipes, full episodes, ingredient advice, and equipment reviews.

CooksCountry.com/TV.

-"The Complete Cook's Country TV Show Cookbook" brings together every recipe, tasting, and test from 18 seasons of the beloved TV show, with trusted equipment recommendations and insights from the entire cast.

This book is your guide to the very best in regional cooking.

The cost is $24.99 -- $15 off the cover price of $40.

To order, head to our online shop at CooksCountry.com/book.

-Funding for this program has been provided by the following.

-Monument Grills -- made for everyone from the backyard master to the weekend host and the beginner just starting out.

Monument brings people together.

Monument Grills -- the everybody everywhere grill.

-Teakhaus, inspired by a passion for cooking and respect for our planet.

Each board is handcrafted from sustainably sourced wood designed for every step, from food prep to presentation.

Teakhaus.