Latin Spiced Lamb Burgers Recipes

Steps:

• For the patties: Toast pepper, coriander and cumin together in a dry pan until they crackle and pop (shake pan constantly). Their color should be light brown, and spices should smell like toast, popcorn, smoky, etc. Pour them straight into a coffee grinder and blend the seeds to a fine powder. Mix all spices, garlic and salt well into the lamb. Form into 6 even patties.
• For the sauce: After weighing, rip the dried peppers open to shake out the seeds (a few seeds left in is ok). Throw the peppers in a saucepan with the water, and boil over medium heat until only 1/4 cup of liquid remains at the bottom. Add the peppers (with cooking liquid), sour cream, oil, garlic and lime to the blender, and blend it until very smooth. Add salt and blend again. Add cream and pulse a few times just to incorporate and get a saucy, squirtable consistency.
• Grill the lamb patties and the ciabatta until nice, dark grill marks are everywhere (lamb is at its juiciest around medium rare). Put about 1 teaspoon of sauce on each side of the bun. Slice the patties in half to lay lengthwise on the bread, and crumble Cotija cheese on top. Dress with plenty of juicy tomato slices, onion and lettuce. Cut sandwich lengthwise (along the seam of the lamb patty) and plate with cross-section facing outward.

Steps:

• If grilling or broiling, heat should be medium-high and rack about 4 inches from fire. Put lamb and onion into a food processor (in batches if your machine is small) and pulse until coarsely ground. Put in a bowl with chili, coriander, cumin and turmeric, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix, handling the meat as little as possible, until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings. Handling meat as lightly as possible to avoid compressing it, shape it into 4 or more burgers.
• To broil or grill, cook about 3 minutes on each side for rare and another minute per side for each increasing stage of doneness. For stovetop, heat a large skillet over medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes, then add patties; cook, undisturbed, for about 2 minutes, then rotate them so they brown evenly. Turn once and cook for a total of about 6 minutes for rare.
• Garnish with diced mango, green and red pepper, red onion and scallion, and with shredded carrot and lettuce.