Lampreado: The Savory South American Patty

This was originally going to be my recipe for the World Cup Cuisine stop in Paraguay, but after having no luck finding Yucca in London, I opted to make Locro instead. Having prepared half of the recipe’s ingredients before realizing I couldn’t find Yucca, I decided to substitute with another tasty root vegetable, the sweet potato.

These moist patties were quite tasty and I decided to whip up a simple Mango Cilantro Chutney to top them with.  Warm beef patties and cool mango chutney is a great combination for a Sunday afternoon lunch and paired with a crisp citrus tinged white wine you can’t go wrong!

Lampreado

Ingredients

1 pound fresh yucca (or any root vegetable that you can find in season)
2 tablespoons canola oil (or as a healthy alternative, grapeseed oil), and more for pan frying
1 medium sized onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 pound of lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
bread crumbs, for dredging

Directions

If using fresh yuca, peel it. Likewise with your root vegetable of choice.  For the true authentic experience, try and find yucca.
Cook the yucca in boiling salted water until tender. Do not let it get too soft, or it will become watery. Drain, mash, set aside.
While the yucca is cooking, heat the oil in a large sjiller over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring a few times, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in ground beef, salt, pepper and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the beef loses its pink color.
Mix the beef with the yucca until well blended and shape into 8 patties, just like hamburgers. You may want to make them smaller even if you plan on serving these as appetizers. Dredge in the bread crumbs until evenly coated (including the sides) and completely covered.
To serve, heat a large skiller over medium heat.  Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the skillet and, when it is sizzling hot, add the patties 4 at a time. Fry on both side until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.
Top with mango chutney and serve!

This recipe was taken from The South American Table: The Flavor and Soul of Authentic Home Cooking from Patagonia to Rio De Janeiro, With 450 Recipes

Mango Chutney

Ingredients

1 mango, diced
2 green onions, sliced
2 sundried tomatoes, diced finely
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
Juice of 1 lime
Splash of Vinegar (I used ginger rice wine)
1/8 cup of cilantro, chopped

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process gently. You want to end up with a product that still has mango chunks, but also has a thick sauce.