Beef
New Mexican Green Chile Burgers with Salsa Verde
The burger plays an iconic role in American gastronomy. Every region reinterprets the basic recipe—case in point, these green chile burgers from New Mexico. There’s a double dose of chiles, first in the form of rajas, roasted chile strips spooned over the burgers, then in a classic New Mexican salsa verde—green chile sauce.
New Mexican Green Chile Burgers with Salsa Verde
New Mexican Green Chile Burgers with Salsa Verde
Recipe Notes
- Advance Prep: 30 minutes (recommended chilling time)
- Active Prep: 30 minutes
- Grill Time: 20 to 25 minutes
- Total Time: About 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 burgers
- Method: Direct grilling
- Equipment: Grill, tongs, mixing bowls, paring knife, blender, saucepan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup roasted New Mexican green chiles, Anaheim chiles, or poblano peppers cut into 1/4-inch strips (4 to 5 chiles; see Roasting Chiles)
- 4 ounces white Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 cup)
- 1-1/2 pounds ground beef sirloin or chuck
- Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 hamburger buns
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- New Mexican Salsa Verde
Recipe Steps
1: Place the chile strips in a serving bowl and stir in the Cheddar. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
2: Wet your hands with cold water and divide the ground beef into 4 equal portions. Working quickly and with a light touch, pat each portion into a thick patty. Place the patties on a plate lined with plastic wrap and refrigerate, covered, until ready to grill.
3: Generously, and I mean generously, season each patty on both sides with salt and black pepper. Grill the burgers until they are cooked through. Remove the burgers and cover to keep warm. Leave the grill on.
4: Brush the cut sides of the hamburger buns with the olive oil. Place the buns on the hot grill, cut side down, and, lowering the temperature if necessary, grill until toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. You may need to work in batches.
5: Place each of the burgers on the bottom half of a bun and top each with a quarter of the chile and cheese mixture. Spoon some salsa verde over each, top with the other half of the bun, and serve at once.
