An Inspired Cook

I call this burger the Santa Fe, loaded with cheese, green chile, grilled onions, tortilla strips and guacamole.  Red Robin used to offer a similar burger that had pepper jack cheese and a whole roasted poblano.  It was my favorite thing on the menu and when they discontinued it I was determined to make my own version.  I love big burgers with layers of flavor in every bite.  I think I’ve found it in this burger!  It also reminds me of New Mexico where you will find the best green chile and cheese burgers on earth!

For toppings I fried up some tortilla strips and got out some Hatch green chile from the freezer.  That little seasoned crunch you get in each bite is well worth the effort to fry up some tortilla strips.

Also made some guacamole, sliced a tomato and shredded some lettuce.

Outside over hot charcoal I grilled some medium thick onion slices.  Brush a little olive oil on each side and sprinkle salt and pepper.  Grill until they start to brown and soften, about 3 – 4 minutes on each side.

Josh and Cam always find a way to be home on burger night so I made 4.   Sprinkle with your favorite seasoning, whether it be salt and pepper or a your own spice blend.  I like the Worcestershire pepper blend by McCormick and a little salt on our burgers.

When the burgers are cooked on one side, flip over to cook the other side and add a layer of cheese over top.  We love cheddar with green chile, but Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack is good too!

Now that’s a New Mexican burger!  Melted cheddar with a whole green chile diced over top.

But if you want to make it a Santa Fe burger, add some grilled onion, tomato, lettuce and tortilla strips.  Load up the guacamole in place of mayo or mustard, it’s the ultimate!


Santa Fe Burger

1 1/2 pounds Ground Beef (85 percent) divided into 4 patties
Salt and Pepper, or favorite burger seasoning
1 large sweet Onion, sliced medium
4 – 6 Hatch Green Chile, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 large Tomato, sliced
Lettuce, thinly sliced into shreds
4 Corn Tortillas, cut into tortilla strips, fried and seasoned
Guacamole
4 Hamburger Buns

Prepare toppings.  Drizzle olive oil, and sprinkle salt and pepper over the onion slices.  Set on a hot grill and grill 3 – 4 minutes on each side, or until onions become soft and start to show grill marks.  Remove from grill.  **I usually place the onions on a grill pan so the onions don’t fall through the racks.

Divide ground beef into 4 parts and form into patties.  Season patties and grill over hot coals for 3 – 4 minutes.  Flip the burgers and add cheese slices.  Grill an additional 3 – 4 minutes.

Serve patties on hamburger buns topped with diced green chile, grilled onion, tomato slice, shredded lettuce, tortilla strips and guacamole.

Enjoy!