Southwest Cheeseburger Recipes

GRILLED SOUTHWEST BURGER

Steps:

• In a medium non-stick sauté pan, heat oil over medium high heat and add peppers and onions and sauté for about five minutes or until they start to soften up and brown slightly.
• Remove four peppers from the can of chipotle peppers in adobo and chop then add to the cooking peppers and onions.
• Sauté over medium heat until the vegetables are tender. As it finishes cooking, the mixture may stick a bit so add a little water and scrape the pan with a wooden spoon until finished cooking. Set aside.
• In a small bowl mix mayonnaise with 2 tablespoons of the cilantro and one teaspoon of the adobo sauce from the can.
• The remainder of the peppers in sauce can be frozen in a small zip lock bag for some other recipe.
• Heat an outdoor grill to medium high heat.
• Mix the ground beef with the remaining cilantro, coriander, cumin and chili powder and form into four patties. Brush a little oil on both sides of each patty along with salt and pepper.
• Grill to your preferred level of doneness and top with the jack cheese.
• To assemble, slather the prepared chipotle mayonnaise spread on the bottom half of the roll, then add two slices of tomato per sandwich.
• Top with the burger with cooked peppers and onions and the other half of the roll.

SANTA FE BURGER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Put the chile on a rimmed baking sheet, rub with 1 tablespoon of the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until the skin of the chile is blackened, about 15 minutes. Remove the chile from the oven, place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let the chile steam for 15 minutes. Peel, stem, and seed the chile and then coarsely chop it.
• To make the queso sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk, increase the heat to high, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese until melted; season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
• Divide the meat into 4 equal portions (about 6 ounces each). Form each portion loosely into a 3/4-inch-thick burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb. Season both sides of each burger with salt and pepper. Cook the burgers, using the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. See how Bobby cooks perfect burgers
• Place the burgers on the bun bottoms and top each with a few tablespoons of queso sauce, chips, and some of the poblano. Cover with the bun tops and serve immediately.
• Toasted Burger Buns
• I think the taste and the texture of buns are best when lightly toasted. To toast a bun on a grill, grill pan, or griddle, split the bun open, place it cut side down on the grill, and grill until light golden brown, about 10 seconds. Alternatively, you can place the split bun halves cut side up on a baking sheet and cook them under a preheated broiler until light golden brown, about 30 seconds. Keep a close eye on them and don't let them get too brown or else that texture will take on a life of its own and defeat the purpose of starting with a soft bun.

SOUTHWEST TURKEY BURGERS

Steps:

• Chop your garlic and veggies.
• Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until crisp. Wipe excess grease from pan and return skillet to heat.
• While bacon cooks, combine turkey meat, garlic, shallot or onion, thyme, cilantro or parsley, bell pepper, serrano or jalapeno pepper, cumin, hot pepper sauce, grill seasoning or salt and pepper. Divide mixture into 4 equal mounds then form meat into patties. Drizzle patties with vegetable oil to coat. Cook in skillet over medium high heat for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Place sliced cheese over the patties in the last 2 minutes of cooking, use 1 or 2 slices for each patty, as you like.
• Pile cooked cheeseburgers into buns. Spread sweet relish or jelly on bun tops and set red leaf lettuce into place, using the relish or jelly as glue. Top cheeseburgers with 2 slices of cooked, crisp bacon or turkey bacon and lettluce. Then serve with tortilla chips, tossed salad and/or spicy o-nuts.

GREEN CHILE CHEESEBURGERS

Steps:

• Grill peppers, covered, over high heat until all sides are blistered and blackened, 8-10 minutes, turning as needed. Immediately place peppers in a small bowl; let stand, covered, 20 minutes. Reduce grill temperature to medium heat., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine beef, salt and pepper; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape into six 3/4-in.-thick patties., Peel off and discard charred skin from peppers. Cut peppers lengthwise in half; carefully remove stems and seeds. Cut into slices or coarsely chop. , Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat until a thermometer reads 160°, 5-7 minutes on each side. Top with cheese and chiles; grill, covered, until cheese is melted, 1-2 minutes longer. Top bun bottoms with burgers. If desired, serve with lettuce, tomato, onion, bacon and mayonnaise.

SIZZLING SOUTHWEST BURGERS

Steps:

• Preheat grill for high heat.
• In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, taco seasoning mix, bell pepper and onion using your hands. Form into 6 patties.
• Lightly oil the grill grate. Cook burger patties for 5 minutes per side, or until well done. Place buns cut side down onto the grill to toast during the last minute or so. Top each burger with a slice of cheese before removing from the grill. Serve burgers on toasted buns topped with salsa and sour cream.

SOUTHWEST CHEESEBURGER

Steps:

• Preheat a gas grill over high heat or a charcoal grill until it glows bright orange and ashes over.
• Divide and shape the ground beef into 4 patties. Season the burgers with salt and pepper. Brush the burgers with oil. Grill the burgers until browned and slightly charred on the first side (about 3-4 minutes). Flip the burgers over and continue to cook until desired doneness - about 4 minutes for medium rare, longer for a more done burger.
• To assemble the sandwich, place 2 tbsp. of salsa on one cut half of each sandwich (I prefer it on the top half). Place 2 tbsp. of guacamole on the other cut half of each sandwich (I prefer this on the bottom). Top the bottom bun with a hamburger patty. Top with cheese, then the top bun.

SOUTHWEST CHEESEBURGER WITH AVOCADO JALAPENO RELISH

Steps:

• Avocado Jalapeno Relish: In a medium bowl, mix all relish ingredients but the lime juice. Stir gently with a fork to mix. Drizzle the lime juice over all to evenly distribute. Stir gently until fully incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until ready to assemble the burgers.
• Cumin Garlic Mayo: In a small bowl, mix the mayo, cumin and garlic. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Southwest Burgers: In a large bowl, crumble the beef apart and spread out across the width of the bowl. Add the onion and patty seasonings by sprinkling over the beef to evenly distribute. Mix gently with your hands, careful to not overwork the meat. Form into 6 patties.
• To cook the patties, heat the grill or grill pan to medium high. Place the patties on the grates and cook for 5 minutes. Flip and grill another 4 minutes. Add the cheese slices and allow to melt, about 1 minute. (This cooking time was done on a gas grill for medium- medium well. Use a meat thermometer for your desired temperature. Your cooking time will vary if the patties have been refrigerated.).
• Place the buns cut-side down on the grill until slightly toasted, about 1 minute. Keep a close watch, they can burn quickly.
• To assemble, spread the mayo mixture on the bottom bun, about 1 heaping tablespoon. Place 2 or 3 pieces of lettuce as desired. Place the burgers on top, then the sliced tomato. Spoon on two generous tablespoons of relish. Add red onion if desired. Place top bun. Repeat for remaining burgers.