This burger was inspired by one of my husband’s favorite burgers from one of our favorite restaurants. When he let out an audible ‘mmmmm’ and told me it was better than the restaurant burger, I knew I had a winner. My version of the burger has so much more because I added a few extra special flavor touches to it. Canned green chiles are an inexpensive, easy and delicious way to add flavor to so many dishes. I like to add a can to quick and easy corn salsa, top a grilled chicken breast or mix into soups. Today, green chiles are making an appearance on top of burgers. I like to buy the mild chiles so I can control the heat level and because I’m using pepper jack cheese, I don’t want the spice level to be too overwhelming. Now, the relish will taste spicy on its own, but when it’s on the burger with the creamy cheese, the spiciness mellows out when mixed in a bite with the bun, burger and cheese. This may sound counter intuitive given that it’s pepper jack, but trust me, it really all just balances out. The green chiles are made into a relish by adding red onion, cilantro, agave, salt & pepper. I decided to add a little agave because when I tasted the mix it was just missing a little something and the slight sweetness cuts through the mild spice of the chiles and really enhances the flavor. Grilling season will be here soon so don’t forget to make this Green Chile Cheeseburger when you fire up your grill because this burger would be so good with a char-grilled flavor.
Hatch Green Chile Season:
If it’s hatch green Chile season (August and September) you can make my ever popular New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Sauce Recipe that would be delicious on this burger.
Caramelized Red Pepper & Onion Burger
