Spicy Mexican burgers with lime mayo, guacamole and smoky peppers

Method

1. 01

   For the smoky peppers, preheat the oven to 220°C. Keeping the red peppers whole, place them in a small roasting tray and roast in the preheated oven, about 30–40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until the skins are blackened.

2. 02

   Remove from the oven, transfer the peppers to a medium bowl and cover the bowl tightly with cling film. (Keeping the hot peppers in a sealed environment will make peeling them super-easy.) Set the peppers aside at room temperature.

3. 03

   For the burger patties, pound the cumin seeds in a pestle and mortar until roughly ground. Place the beef mince in a large bowl, add the ground cumin and remaining ingredients, and combine well (using your hands is best). Shape the mince into 6 large patties and set aside until just before serving.

4. 04

   For the lime mayo, combine all of the ingredients in a serving bowl and season to taste.

5. 05

   For the guacamole, put all of the ingredients in a serving bowl and mash the avocado roughly with a fork. Season to taste and set aside until serving time.

6. 06

   Returning to the smoky peppers, remove the cling film from the bowl, peel the skins off the peppers, and remove and discard the seeds. Tear the pepper flesh into rough strips and add to a serving bowl, then drizzle with a little avocado oil, season with salt and add a splash of red wine vinegar.

7. 07

   Just before serving, place a large frying pan over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Fry the burger patties in batches, 3–4 minutes per side or until done to your liking. (Or switch it up and braai them!)

8. 08

   Arrange all of the topping ingredients on the table and allow people to make up their own burgers — spread a generous layer of the lime mayo on the base of the buns, followed by a patty, a Cheddar slice, a tomato slice, guacamole, smoky pepper slices and coriander leaves, and top with the remaining bun half.