My name is Zoe. I am a part of the Little family. The Small One likes to say that I'm the, "Littlest Little".
Here I am with The Small One. When I am hungry and she refills my bowl of Hill's Science Diet, I call her "Food Bestower". When we are having moments like the one above, I call her by her secret cat name, "A Ray of Sunshine". All these names would sound like "Meow" to the untrained ear.
Today's recipe is Green Chile Burgers...
I heard them both say that they really enjoyed the green chile burgers that they had at Bun Hugger's in Flagstaff, Arizona.
I looked up their menu and found out that there was also pepper jack on the Fiesta Burgers they ordered. They used sharp cheddar in this recipe, but pepper jack would be a good substitute.
This recipe is inspired by the recipe in The Great American Burger Book by George Motz.
The Small One found a bag of Frieda's Hatch Chiles at Trader Joe's.
INGREDIENTS
2lbs Hatch Green Chiles
Beef Broth
Salt
Pepper
Big Marty's Buns
Grapeseed Oil
Butter
Cracker Cut Sharp Cheddar
Big Marty's Buns
80/20 Hamburger
On a foil lined cookie sheet, oil your Hatch Green Chiles with Grapeseed Oil. Sprinkle a twist or two of salt evenly across your Chiles.
The recipe was not clear in the book how long and at what temperature to cook the Chiles to achieve the charred skin look.
That's not quite it.
Much better. After some trial and error it was determined that you need to cook the Hatch Green Chiles on the top rack for 30 minutes at 425 and 10 minutes at 475 in order to get the desired effect.
You'll want to cover the pan with a dish towel. This will create steam and make peeling easier. 5-10 minutes ought to do it.
The charred skin should peel off easily at this point.
Slice the Chiles lengthwise.
Use a spoon to remove the desired portion of seeds. The more seeds you remove the milder the end product will be. If you like your food spicy hot, leave a larger portion of seeds.
Chop your Chiles up and put them in a saucepan.
Add beef broth, but don't overdo it or you will end up with a soupy consistency. Just enough to cover ought to do it.
Simmer and reduce.
Now on to the burgers...
The Large Hairy One considers himself a, "Meat Master".
I consider most of this sort of talk to be braggadocio. He is competent and has honed his skills over the years, but he is no Aaron Franklin.
Add a pat of butter to a hot cast iron skillet.
Patties should be even sized for cooking consistency. Do not season until they are in the pan. The burgers should make a loud sizzling sound when they hit the cast iron. If your cat flees the room, you are at the right temperature.
Leave them alone for about 3-4 minutes. You'll know when to flip when you see juices bubbling up on the surface.
Make sure to season both sides with salt and pepper.
Immediately after flipping, add a piece of Cracker Cut Sharp Cheddar to each patty and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. What you want is a crunchy crust and nice tender medium temp inside. This is difficult to achieve and may take several attempts before you achieve True Burger Perfection.
I watched The Large Hairy One as the pan sizzled as if it were being licked on the underside by the fires of hell itself. The fan was on full blast and The Small One was standing with the door open. Great clouds of smoke billowed. The Large Hairy One slid on grease that had splattered onto the floor like a deranged ice skater. He would let out periodic yelps as hot grease splattered his arms. His brow furrowed as he had one eye on the clock and one eye on the smoking cacophony before him. It is a few days later and I am still licking the taste of hamburger out of my fur.
Butter your buns and toast in a frying pan.
This is what you want at this stage. Melty cheese. The burgers rested on a paper towel for about 5 minutes, so they are not greasy. The buns are toasted golden brown. Only one thing left...
Add a generous helping of your Hatch Green Chile concoction.
Pro Tip: Roll a lemon on the counter, slice in half and squeeze a few drops onto your Green Chile Burgers right before chowing down. This bright note of acid will elevate the dish. Add nothing else. The Hatch Green Chile is such a lovely and treasured ingredient that you don't want anything else interfering with it.
Bonus: There was enough of the mixture left over to make Green Chile Eggs the next morning.
Enjoy!
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