There is so much about cooking and eating in the Southwest that is special, including green chile cheeseburgers which top the list for me, especially during the grilling season. I think about burgers made in other places and all the care and effort that goes into coming up with the most creative combination of toppings, or signature burger patties, but at the end of the day it feels like we have an unfair advantage—we have fire roasted green chile. The best burgers I have ever had are in New Mexico and while they vary to some degree, they all have green chile in common. Over time, I have discovered that my favorite burgers tend to be the simplest. I love making this burger and eating it just as is, sometimes with a bun, sometimes wrapped in big pieces of lettuce, but always with melted cheese and a spoonful of poblano jam on top. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but with this combination, I don’t even add my usual burger go-to’s of mayo, ketchup, and raw slices of onion.
The cheese
I didn’t want to choose the cheese for you because this is such a personal choice. The day I made these, we melted blue cheese on top of the burgers because this is one of our favorite cheeses, but goat cheese, cheddar, and American would be great too.
The patty
The most important thing for a good burger is a flavorful burger patty. Here, we accomplish this by adding two kinds of meat, half ground chuck and half-ground sirloin. The chuck brings the texture while the ground sirloin brings the flavor. Combined together with good seasoning and frozen grated butter for additional flavor and moisture, results in my favorite burger patty of all time. You’ll notice that we add a generous (1 tablespoon) of dried herbs to the burger. I have an affinity for the herb blend I make called High Desert Herbs, a combination of marjoram, sage, lavender, rosemary, chile, and thyme (available at stokli.com) but it’s also similar to Herbes de Provence and can be substituted with any or all of the dried herbs listed above.
The jam
The jam can easily be made a few days in advance and can be adjusted with different chiles. If you want a spicier jam, instead of poblano, you might want to try a hatch, anaheim or even poblano chile. Or, you can create your own signature jam by combining more than one chile together.
High Desert Green Chile Cheeseburger
This New Mexico-inspired green chile cheeseburger combines the heat of green or poblano chiles with the creamy richness of your favorite cheese, creating a mouthwatering fusion that will leave your taste buds craving more.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 burgers
- Category: burgers
- Method: grilling
- Cuisine: New Mexican Inspired
Ingredients
for the poblano jam:
- 2 T. olive oil
- 1 large shallot, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 4 fire-roasted poblano chiles, peeled, seeded & diced
- 1/4 c. sherry vinegar
- 1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
- Salt and pepper to taste
for the burgers:
- 1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 lb. ground beef chuck
- 1 lb. ground beef sirloin
- 1 T. High Desert Herbs or Herbes de Provence
- 2 t. kosher or flakey sea salt
- 1/2 t. Black pepper
for everything else:
- 8 buns
- your favorite cheese and toppings
Instructions
Making the jam
To make the poblano jam, heat the oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add the shallots and cook for around ten minutes, until they caramelize. Add the garlic and cook for another few minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Add the diced chiles, vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Let this mixture come to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for around 10 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by around half in the pan. You can leave this as is or transfer the mixture to a blender and pulse a few times to make a slightly smoother consistency. Check seasoning and add more salt and pepper as needed. Transfer the jam to a heat-proof jar and serve warm with the burgers or refrigerate if making in advance.
Making the burgers
To make the burgers, first, grate the butter into a bowl with a box grater and freeze the butter for around ten minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine both types of ground beef, herbs, salt, pepper, and frozen butter until the mixture is well combined. Form into 8 patties and keep refrigerated. When you’re ready to grill, preheat the grill and cook the burgers to your desired temperature. When they’re almost done, top with cheese, close the grill, and cook the burger for another couple minutes, until the cheese is melted. This is a great time to place the buns cut side down on the grill to slightly toast them. To serve, place burgers on the buns and top with poblano jam. Enjoy with your favorite condiments and other toppings.
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