Chicken and Plantain Burger with Pecan Crust

One of my favorite things to eat is called a pianono, which is a complicated Jamaican dish made by forming a ring from a slice of sautéed plantain and filling it with a spicy ground chicken mixture, then frying the whole thing. This version is far simpler and combines all those wonderful flavors. To help keep the pecans from scorching, once the burger is flipped, cover the pan and reduce the flame to low.

MAKES 4 BURGERS

• 1 ripe plantain (see note)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds bone-in), cut into 1-inch pieces (see note)
• 2 ounces smoked ham or Canadian bacon, cut into small dice
• 2 scallions, green parts only, coarsely chopped
• 6 green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
• ¹/₄ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons plain dried bread crumbs
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¹/₂ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¹/₂ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¹/₂ teaspoon dried oregano
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 6 ounces (about 2 cups) pecan halves
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 Portuguese rolls or hamburger buns
• Mango Ketchup (page 72)

Peel the plantain and cut it lengthwise into ¹/₂-inch slices.

Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the butter. When the butter stops sizzling, arrange the plantain slices in a single layer and cook until they are lightly browned on the bottom, about 1 minute. Turn and cook 1 minute more. Transfer to a plate and let them cool, then coarsely chop them.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the chopped plantains with the chicken pieces, ham, scallions, olives, parsley bread crumbs, egg, salt, cumin, allspice, oregano, and pepper to taste. Pulse until all the ingredients are just chopped and the chicken is the consistency of ground beef, about 8 pulses. Shape the mixture into 4 burgers about ³/₄ inch thick and 4 inches across. Arrange on a platter, cover with plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 6 hours.

While the burgers are chilling, place the pecans in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until the pecans are finely chopped, about the size of split peas. Do not overprocess. (The pecans can also be chopped with a knife.) Transfer to a pie plate. Dredge each chilled burger in the pecans so they are lightly coated with the nuts on each side.

Place a skillet, preferably cast-iron, over medium heat, add the oil, and let it get hot, about 2 minutes. Arrange the burgers so they aren’t touching and cook, uncovered, for 6 minutes. Turn the burgers carefully reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and cook 5 to 6 minutes more, until no longer pink in the center, or about 165°F.

Serve on the sweet Portuguese rolls, topped with Mango Ketchup.

Note: These burgers are too delicate to cook on an outdoor grill.

Note: Ripe plantains are a deep yellow color with some areas of dark brown or black (as opposed to unripe plantains, which are green). Don’t worry about the dark areas; as long as the plantain is not mushy it is fine to use.

Note: You can make this recipe substituting 1 pound of store-bought ground chicken for the chicken thighs. Place the ground chicken in a medium bowl. Combine the remaining burger ingredients in the food processor and chop finely. Add that mixture to the ground chicken and mix together until just combined. Shape into burgers and continue with the recipe.