Grilled Turkish Lamb Burgers with Red Pepper Ketchup

I recently discovered the rich, thick, savory, hot red

pepper paste from the Anatolia region of Turkey called biber salcasi in Turkish. In English: delicious. And versatile. It is made from red chiles and salt and has a pleasant, barely pickled-pepper flavor

that’s not very spicy (to me) but invitingly warm.One Brand of Turkish Hot Pepper Paste

For this recipe, I used it

two ways: as a base for a deep red, aromatic “ketchup” for the burgers, and as

a binding ingredient in the lamb mixture to add both savor and moistness. I must say, these

turned out to be some of the most tender, juiciest burgers I’ve ever grilled.

Look for Turkish hot red pepper paste in Middle Eastern

markets, or in some supermarkets with extensive international sections.

Note: I used small naan

as the bread for the burgers instead of pita simply because I wanted to make flatbread

sandwiches, with two small patties in each. Naan is typically teardrop-shaped,

so the pointed end can be awkward for folding. Simply cut the tips off to make

the flatbreads more evenly shaped (and save the tips for dipping into a bowl of

homemade hummus).

generously with sea salt. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Cut off the teardrop ends of the naan to form rectangles for

the flatbread sandwiches (reserve cut pieces for another use).

Light a grill for medium-high heat.

Place the lamb and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a

bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix gently to combine. Form the mixture

into 8 equal patties, making a slight indent with your thumb in the middle of

each. (This helps keep the patties from puffing up too much as they cook.)

Rub the grill grate with oil and

grill the burgers until juicy inside and just cooked through, 3-4 minutes per

side. Transfer to a plate or board and let rest 3 minutes.

Ready to MixLamb PattiesPatties Beginning to GrillGrilled Burgers

To serve, lay the naan on a work

surface and spread each with ketchup. Place 2 burgers on the bottom half of each

and divide the salted cucumbers and red onion slices on top. Fold the top

halves over and serve.

Grilled Turkish Lamb Burgers with Red Pepper Ketchup