Chilean Burger for The Amazing Race

Hubby and I are huge fas of The Amazing Rice, both of us having travelled all parts of the world. We love seeing the different countries they travel to and the cultures they experience. Tonight was the season premier and they travelled to Chile. What better way to enjoy one of our favorite shows then with a dinner with flavors from the country they are racing in. No, this isn’t something weird one of the participants in the Amazing Race had to eat and believe me, they’ve eaten some odd stuff.  This is a standard food item with seasonings from Chile.

Adapted from Burgers Here & There’s Chilean Burger recipe, this burger is quite delicious and flavorful. Although the original recipes also calls for pumpkin seeds and cilantro for the sauce, we didn’t have any in the fridge so I had to find an alternative that would add to the burger rather then take away from the wonderful flavors.

First you want to make the Pebre sauce so it has time to chill in the fridge before you make your burgers.  PS – this sauce would be excellent on salmon as well.

Pebre sauce
1 cup Italian parsley chopped
¾ cup shallot chopped
3 cloves of garlic crushed
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tablespoon capers
½ cup scallion greens chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Blend all ingredients in a food processor and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Chilean burger – Serves 4
1 lb lean ground beef
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon paprika
4 slices of Cheddar or mozzarella cheese
4 burger buns (or Sandwich thins like we used)

For nutrition information, click the Magic button

In a large bowl, combine beef, garlic, cumin, salt, oregano and paprika.

I usually mix hamburger meat with my hands, but there are tools out there to do it as well. Form four patties to your desired thickness and grill medium. Place the cheese on the burgers about a minute before done so it melts but doesn’t run off the burger onto the grill.  Top the burger with the Pebre sauce and serve.

Hubby had his on a bun and I had mine bun-less since I didn’t want all the bread. I loved the burger flavor and the sauce. Wow….. That sauce is tasty!  So next time you’re in the mood for a burger with a twist, try this one out. You won’t be disappointed.