In collaboration with Tasty, Easy Lamb.
It’s very nearly BBQ time again! With the longer, sunnier days starting to make an appearance I’m beginning to think about new and interesting ways to jazz up our summer barbeques. I love going on culinary journeys from my own kitchen, exploring the tastes of far off places using locally available ingredients. For this recipe, I’m travelling to Chile, in South America, with a succulent paprika-spiked lamb burger served with pebre, a popular Chilean condiment and Marraqueta bread rolls, a yeasty bake that appears on many kitchen tables throughout Chile.
The tender, succulent and juicy lamb burger is seasoned simply with smoked paprika and a touch of cumin and oregano. Loaded with the mashed avocado, tomato slices, pebre and, of course, a little sprinkling of pumpkin seeds, this Chilean-inspired burger tastes quite the thing, and it’s something a little different from a typical British bbq sauce glazed burger for the summer.
Lamb is an incredibly versatile ingredient with a unique and delicious flavour that works really well with summer barbecues.
Lamb raised in the European countryside is among the most sustainable in the world – it comes down to the temperate climate and varied terrain. From mountainous regions to deep valleys and vast grasslands, sheep farming thrives in areas often not viable for cultivation, so it doesn’t take land away from valuable crop production. – Tasty, Easy Lamb
I have noticed recently that lamb mince is not as readily obtainable at supermarkets like it used to be. In fact, one of our Shetland islands supermarkets informed me they no longer stock it, and suggested that I turn to my local butchers instead. When shopping at your local butchers you can be sure of purchasing a high-quality product.
The marraqueta is a crispy bread roll with a crunchy outer and a soft, fluffy interior and slightly salty taste. Its origins are from the late 19th early 20th century Chile where two French baker brothers immigrated to the area and created the extremely popular roll. In fact, it is the most popular bread eaten in Chile.
There is much controversy over whether one marraqueta is one bread roll, or in fact four, as the handle of a wooden spoon is used to press a cross shape into the dough before baking, thereby dividing the dough into four pieces.
For the purposes of using these as burger buns, I use one-half of a marraqueta per person, also known as pan batido. You could, if you wanted, prepare the dough into six separate burger buns pressing the cross shape into each individual bun. I also cheated a bit and made my dough in the bread machine, but I’ve provided the recipe to make it by hand too if you wish.
The baking of these bread rolls is significantly improved by the use of a pre-heated pizza stone, if you have one. If not, just make sure your oven is at the highest setting for the initial 15 minutes of baking.
The accompanying salsa, pebre, is a staple condiment found on many Chilean tables. Prepared mostly from coriander, it’s a zingy cross between Argentinian chimichurri (see recipe here) and Mexican Pico-de-gallo (see recipe here), and it’s got a lovely hit of chilli to really get those taste buds going.
I used a Mexican smoked chilli paste in my recipe, but feel free to substitute with a dash of sriracha or a freshly chopped red chilli.
Do you have any favourite summer bbq lamb recipes? Let me know in the comments!
For more lamb recipe inspiration visit the Tasty Easy Lamb website, and follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Chilean-Inspired Paprika-Spiked Lamb Burgers with Pebre (Chilli Salsa) & Marraqueta Buns
Ingredients
for the pebre (Chilean chilli salsa)
- 3 spring onions finely chopped
- 2 large tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 large handful fresh coriander leaves only
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp smoked chilli paste (see recipe notes)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pinch sea salt to taste
for the paprika-spiked lamb burgers
- 750 grams lamb mince
- 1.5 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin seeds toasted and ground
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 medium egg to bind
- sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
for the Marraqueta bread rolls
- .75 tsp instant dried yeast
- 235 grams plain flour
- 250 grams strong bread flour
- 1.25 tsp sea salt
- 0.5 tsp brown sugar
- 325 ml lukewarm water
- coarse polenta to sprinkle on baking tray
to serve
- avocado mashed
- tomato sliced
- pumpkin seeds
- pebre see recipe, above
Instructions
- First, prepare the salsa by chopping all the ingredients finely, placing in a bowl and stirring in the vinegar, oil and chilli sauce. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavours to develop and then bring to room temperature before serving.
- To prepare the bread (bread machine method): place all the ingredients into your bread machine in the manufacturer's recommended order and select the dough cycle. When the dough cycle has finished, knock the dough back and divide into three even pieces.
- To prepare the bread (by hand): place the flours, yeast, sugar and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a lightly oiled clean bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in size (about 90 minutes). Knock back and cut into three even pieces.
- To shape the dough, carefully knead and stretch each piece into an oblong shape. Using the handle of a wooden spoon make a cross in the centre of each oblong. Place on baking tray lined with a piece of baking paper that has been sprinkled with coarse polenta. Leave the dough to rise for 30 minutes, or pop the tray into the fridge and leave overnight. Bring the dough to room temperature for one hour before baking.
- Preheat your oven with a pizza stone in it to 230 C and place a shallow pan of hot water onto the very bottom of the oven.
- Sprinkle each of the marraquetas with a little cold water and slide the baking paper onto the pizza stone. Bake for 15 minutes at 230 C, turn the heat off and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until the bread is well risen and golden.
- Allow to cool completely before eating.
- To prepare the burgers, mix all the ingredients together and shape into six burgers. Grill for 6-8 minutes on each side, ideally on a barbeque.
- To serve, cut each of the three marraquetas in half to form six burger buns, and slice. Serve the burgers with mashed avocado, sliced tomato, the pebre sauce and some pumpkin seeds.
Notes
OTHER LAMB RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
Brazilian-inspired Lamb Feijoada with Mango Salsa
Slow Cooker Lamb Chilli with Pasilla Peppers
Argentine-inspired Lamb Chops with Chimichurri
Lamb Casserole with Ale
Lamb Tagine with Pomegranate
Pistachio & Orange Crusted Mini Roast
Mediterranean-inspired BBQ Koftas, Couscous Salad & Baharat Yogurt Dip
Greek Lamb Shepherd’s Pie with Feta Mash
Slow-cooked Shetland Lamb Casserole with Creamy Herbed Polenta
Pastitsio – Greek Macaroni Pie
Moroccan-inspired Slow-cooked Lamb
Yiouvetsi – One Pot Greek Lamb with Orzo
Lamb KeemaÂ
SHOP THIS POST
Gran Luchito Smoked Chilli Paste
The Pizza Steel (for baking the bread)
This is a commissioned recipe for Tasty, Easy Lamb, although all thoughts and opinions expressed are our own. Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to do what I love: mess up my kitchen and share recipe stories.
Mum of three, daydream adventurer, OU Life Sciences graduate, occasional crafter, ex-pat Canadian & quite possibly Britain's most northerly food blogger.
Katie says
Thanks for your recipe. My children love it so much.
Love you,xxx
Katie
Su {Ethan & Evelyn} says
Oh My! This burger is to die for! Look at the chunky burger and that juicy salads. Wow!
Yeu Doi says
This looks delicious, healthy, filling & wholesome! Will try soon!
Obi says
WOW! This would be like summer in my mouth. Such a colorful and flavorful burger. Thanks for sharing the recipe
Julia says
Oh wow – this is like the king of all burgers!!! So juicy and I love the avocado as the condiment. And the buns!! So pretty and nothing can beat fresh homemade bread with juicy lamb burgers!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Wow, such wonderful and stand out flavors!
Vicky @ Avocado Pesto says
Loving everything about this recipe! Spent 2 weeks backpacking in Chile last year and loooved the pebre there – so good with everything! These burgers will be perfect this summer!
Swadhin Agrawal says
Oh My! Today is my fast and I had to see these utterly butterly delicious food ::D
I am going to have a hard time controlling my urge to eat away the monitor 😀
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry says
This is a great twist on a burger. We have great lamb in the UK
Aditi says
Very timely post. This is on our Menu tonight! Yumm!
Tiara Wilson says
Wow. Everything about this meal looks absolutely delicious. I have never tried a burger like this and can be pretty picky, but these pictures just make this burger look so dang good!
Nati says
Home made burgers are the best and this one looks spectacular! I need to try this 🙂
a says
My family are not fans of lamb, but I think this flavors would work with any ground meat. Those rolls look delicious.
JEnnifer says
Oh wow! I’ve had lamb in gyros before but never as a burger. This actually looks really tasty. My husband loves lamb and I know he would love this recipe!
Emmy says
This looks so delicious!! I’m going to try this with a meat substitute. Excited to see how it turns out!
lindsay Cotter says
my husband would argue that New Zealand lambs is the best haha! He is a kiwi. But this burger, you nailed it. Chilean flavors make me swoon!
Gennifer Rose says
Oh my gosh, this looks amazingly delicious! I would love this burger for lunch today.
Platter Talk says
I absolutely love burgers made with lamb! Thanks for this great new recipe which really is ringing my bells!
Alyssa says
I’m not a fan of lamb but you have me drooling over that pebre and and thick smear of avocado.
Kavey at Kavey Eats says
Saw your photo on instagram, had to leap over to take a look. I love how you incorporate inspiration from around the world, these flavours look so perfect to go with our fabulous British lamb!
Elizabeth says
Wow! This burger looks to die for. I’m for sure saving this recipe.
xo, Elizabeth
Yuen Mi says
Avocado and coriander in a burger? OMG…I’m drooling already. Need to go make this right now!
Margot says
Sounds perfect for eating alfresco… My family would really enjoy your Chilean burgers and the marraqueta buns look sooooo good!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Wow, very impressed with your homemade buns!! I can’t say I’m too familiar with Chilean food, but the flavours here sound delicious.
Manavi says
I love the way your post is: you have an account of history and culture associated with each of these. I think the BBQ looks sumptuous
GiGi Eats says
UTTER MOUTH WATERING. MOUTH WATERING I tell you! Heart eyes all up in here! 😉
Kevin says
This made me drool, I actually gulped. HAHA! Looks enticing, I want to have a bite!!! The burger patty is so delicious looking!
Michelle Leslie says
OMW Elizabeth, that sounds and looks delectably delicious. I don’t know what I enjoyed more – all the tidbits you shared about Chile or the gorgeous, mouth watering photos. Pinning while licking my lips 😉
Candy Rachelle says
Oh! My! God! This looks absolutely AMAZING!!! I’ve never had a burger with mashed avocado. Looks like a ‘must-try’!