Merkén is the quinessential spice of the Mapuche Indians who populate the southern province in Chile, La Araucanía, about 10 hours south of the capital, Santiago. Cacho de cabra red chilis, shaped like plump, curved fingers, are dry smoked and coarsely ground. Some renditions also add sea salt and cilantro seeds. Merkén is, in my opinion, Chile’s grand contribution to the global spice rack. Smoky like a chipotle but without the bite, it adds piquant and earthy depth to grilled fish, ceviche, seafood, pork, chicken, and is magical when tossed with oven roasted potatoes. Being a chili junkie, it is my preferred seasoning to give anything a kick—so I will add to that list scrambled eggs, mashed avocado, bean soup, and even pasta.

This recipe was born of a hankering yesterday for burgers; undoubtedly subconsciously programmed as an American for Memorial Day and the cook outs. In this case, I experimented with dark ground meat which has a slightly higher fat content (6% v. 2% for breast). The result was a juicy, moist burger. I cooked these babies up in a fry pan although they would be even tastier on a gas grill with some flames for flavor.

All they need are some oven-fried frites and a green salad for a perfect outside lunch.

1 pound/450g ground turkey
½ medium onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided in two parts
1 egg, beaten
½ cup whole wheat dried bread crumbs
1 teaspoon Merkén Spice Rub (recipe below)
salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces firm goat cheese, thinly shaved
Sundried tomatoes, rehydrated and chopped for garnish

In a frying pan, heat half the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes, until “raw” flavor disappears and appearance is translucent.
In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey with the fried onion, egg, dried bread crumbs, Spice rub, salt, and pepper to taste. Using your hands, form into four individual patties.
Heat the frying pan with the remaining olive oil—or if you have a gas grill, heat to medium-high. Add the patties and brown for 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook through, approximately another 4-5 minutes depending on the thickness.
Before serving, add the goat cheese on top of the burgers to melt. Garnish with sundried tomatoes and serve.
Yield: 4-5 hamburgers

Merkén Spice Rub
1 tablespoon merkén (substitute: crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne—you will loose the Smoky component though)
1 teaspoon ground sea salt
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground coriander

Combine all ingredients.