High Desert Table

Your everyday guide to Southwestern cooking

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High Desert Green Chile Cheeseburger

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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. 

HDT Green Chile Cheeseburger - Poblano Jam
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High Desert Green Chile Cheeseburger

HDT Green Chile Cheeseburger - plated
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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.

  • Author: Marianne Sundquist
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 8 burgers
  • Category: burgers
  • Method: grilling
  • Cuisine: New Mexican Inspired

Ingredients

Units

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.

Rhubarb, Lavender, and Red Chile Crisp

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Aside from the perfectly ripe nectarine or plum, my favorite fruit for any baked good is rhubarb. It’s naturally tart and easily transitions into a perfect combination of sweet & sour with the addition of something sweet, in this case, brown sugar. If the idea of rhubarb on its own is too pucker-inducing for you, feel free to add strawberries, blueberries, apricots, or a sweet apple variety to mix it up. 

fresh rhubarb

There are a handful of flavors that go exceptionally well with rhubarb, so I would encourage you to think about what sounds exciting to you. Flavors like lemon, black pepper, ginger, rose, coconut, cardamom, cinnamon, and caramel are some of the first that pop to mind. In this version, I love bringing in elements of the Southwest in the form of lavender and red chile powder to the crisp topping. The floral notes from the lavender and the slight heat from the chile bounce off the bright fruit that has mellowed and melted into a decadent, slightly caramelized saucy delight.

fresh rhubarb
fresh rhubarb chopped and ready to go

Because the window for growing rhubarb outdoors is short, when I see it at the grocery store or the market it’s hard for me to pass up. It’s a fruit celebration of early spring and a reminder of the bounty of summer fruits ahead when rhubarb days will be a distant memory. When I make this at home we usually have it for dessert the first night with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream. As if that is not wonderful enough, the next morning we pull the leftovers out of the fridge and have it for breakfast with a spoon of greek yogurt and a drizzle of raw honey. I still can’t decide which is my favorite.

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Rhubarb, Lavender and Red Chile Crisp

Rhubarb Lavender Red Chile Crisp with whipped cream
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The floral notes from the lavender and the slight heat from the chile bounce off the bright fruit that has mellowed and melted into this decadent, slightly caramelized rhubarb crisp.

  • Author: Marianne Sundquist
  • Prep Time: 25 mins
  • Cook Time: 50 mins
  • Total Time: 1.25 hours
  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: baking
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units

for the filling:

  • 1 T. butter
  • 2# rhubarb, cut into 2” pieces
  • 1/2 c. brown sugar
  • 1 orange, zested

for the crisp:

  • 1 c. flour of your choice (All Purpose, coconut flour or almond flour)
  • 2 t. ground cinnamon
  • 2 t. New Mexico mild or medium red chile powder
  • 2 t. ground dried culinary lavender
  • 1 c. brown sugar
  • 1 c. rolled oats
  • 1/2 c. almond or pecan pieces
  • 1/2 c. melted butter

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter a 9-10” baking dish, cast iron, or other oven-safe skillet.

In a large bowl mix together the rhubarb, brown sugar, and orange zest. Transfer this mixture to your buttered pan.

Rhubarb Lavender Red Chile Crisp - Dry Ingredients
Dry Ingredients

With your hands or a wooden spoon, stir together the flour, cinnamon, red chile powder, lavender, brown sugar, oats, nuts, and melted butter. With your hands, crumble this evenly over the top of the fruit.

Rhubarb Lavender Red Chile Crisp - pre baked
The rhubarb lavender red chile crisp prepped before baking

Bake the crisp for around 50 minutes or until the fruit is bubbling and the top is golden brown. Let it cool for ten minutes before spooning it into bowls and serving.

Rhubarb Lavender Red Chile Crisp - Baked
The crisp cooling in the skillet after baking

Cochinita Pibil Chile Tacos

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This is a taco recipe that comes from our constant craving for the unequivocal Cochinita Pibil sandwich and our never-ending love for tacos. Cochinita Pibil is a traditional slow-roasted pork dish from the Yucatán Peninsula. Its genius lies in the marinade highs and lows; earthy achiote paste or annatto seed, bright orange and/or grapefruit juice, and rich and roasted flavors from roasted garlic. This taco recipe takes into account the spirit of the Pibil and travels to another galaxy in the form of tacos, made with New Mexican chile of course. 

These can be made vegetarian using all beans, cauliflower or potatoes in place of the meat. The last time I made these I used elk, but any meat you have a hankering for will work. Pork shoulder is wonderful, it just takes more time than a vegetable, ground beef or a picked cooked rotisserie chicken.

This would be a fabulous dish to put in the slow cooker overnight. If you cook it this way, you could easily use dry beans instead of cooked ones. This “taco” filling is just as tasty over nachos, in burritos, over rice, and yes, even salad.

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Cochinita Pibil Chile Tacos

Cochinita Pibil Chile Tacos
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  • Author: Marianne Sundquist
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 1-3 hours
  • Total Time: 1-3 hours
  • Yield: serves 6-8
  • Category: Tacos
  • Method: Slow Cook
  • Cuisine: Southwest

Ingredients

Units

For the chile paste:

  • 8 dried red chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • 8 garlic cloves, peels left on
  • 1/2 t. black peppercorn
  • 1/2 t. whole cloves
  • 2 t. whole coriander
  • 1 t. whole cumin
  • 1 T. dried oregano
  • 2 T. maple syrup
  • 1 grapefruit, juiced
  • 1/2 c. water
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

For the tacos:

  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 2 # meat (beef chuck, brisket, ground beef, chicken, bison or elk)
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 green bell peppers, diced
  • 1 can (14.5 oz.) cooked beans OR 1 c. dried chicos
  • 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 2 c. broth (veggie, chicken, or beef)

For serving (optional):

  • tortillas
  • Scallion, sliced
  • Jalapenos, sliced
  • greek yogurt or sour cream
  • Avocados
  • Cilantro leaves
  • Lime wedges
  • Cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

First, make the chile paste: Bring a medium saucepan of water to a simmer. While you’re waiting for the water to heat, In a separate cast iron or other heavy-bottomed skillets over medium heat, sear the red chiles pressing them in the pan until they soften and smell aromatic, but not too much that they burn. Turn them, gently cook on the other side and transfer them to the simmering water saucepan. Turn off the heat and let them sit for 15-30 minutes, then strain them and reserve. Add the garlic cloves to the hot cast iron pan (with their peels still on) and brown them on all sides, before removing them and peeling them once they are cool enough to handle. Once again the cast iron will be empty but still hot. Add the peppercorn, cloves, coriander, and cumin to the pan and gently cook until the spicy fragrance wafts up at you. Transfer these spices to a dry blender and blend until it forms a powder. Add the chiles, peeled garlic cloves, maple syrup, grapefruit juice, and water. Blend until smooth and reserve.

To make the tacos: heat oil in a large dutch oven over high heat. Season the meat with salt and pepper and sear on all sides, working in batches as necessary as to not overcrowd the pan. Reserve the cooked meat in a bowl and reduce the heat to medium.

Add to the hot pot the onion, and green bell peppers and let cook for around ten minutes. Add the beans, can of tomatoes, broth, prepared chile paste, and cooked meat back to the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours depending on the type of meat used. Ground beef or already cooked meat will take around 30 minutes, whereas tougher cuts like brisket, stew meat or pork shoulder could take up to 3 hours to tenderize. Once the meat is fully cooked, serve it with tortillas and your favorite taco toppings. Enjoy!