Signature Burger!

I've been trying to come up with a signature burger, here's my first crack at it...

Pictured above is a Mexican-influenced medium rare burger with melted Monterey Jack, roasted poblanos, grilled red onion, and a jalapeno hot sauce mayonnaise...all topped with freshly prepared guacamole (not pictured). I didn't actually eat this burger until an hour after taking the picture, so the guac was waiting patiently in the fridge.


Here's how to prep and assemble it:

Step 1: Roast the poblano. Place the chile a couple inches under your broiler until the skin blackens. Turn over and repeat until the chile is soft and completely blackened. Place in a bowl and cover with foil, and allow to cool. Then you can easily peel off the blackened skin and there you have your roasted poblano.

I did this earlier in the day while making the salsa (also pictured). I used half of the roasted poblano for the salsa, the other half I kept in the fridge until it was time to assemble the burger.

Step 2: Make the jalapeno hot sauce mayonnaise. You're not actually making mayo...you're taking store bought mayo and jazzing it up. Mix equal amounts (about 1 tablespoon) mayo and homemade or store bought jalapeno hot sauce.

To make the hot sauce yourself (it really is quite easy and very delicious), see RB's recipe for habanero hot sauce, but instead of using habaneros, use about 7 jalapenos. (heat, about 2 out of 5...big on flavor)

Step 3a: Cook the burger to your preference. When the burger is almost finished, this is when you'll grill up some red onion slices. Place them directly on the grill and flip a few times until they are soft and have some nice blackened areas. Take your roasted poblano out of the fridge and re-heat on the grill along with the onion.

Add some freshly shredded Monterey Jack cheese to the burger and allow to melt on the grill. At this point, butter (it's better with butter!) the top of your roll and toast it on the grill. I used a nice soft potato roll for this burger.

Step 3b: Make the guac. When you first put the burger on the grill, take 5 minutes to make some guacamole. See the last post for a quick recipe. Note: since there are grilled onions on this burger I didn't add onions to the guac, that saves another minute or two of slicing and dicing! Just mash up avocado, add lime juice, a little salt, and some cilantro and you're in business. Cover with plastic and place in fridge until ready to top the burger with it.

Step 4: Assembly. Once the cheese has melted, remove everything from the grill and get back inside. Slice the poblanos, dice the grilled onion, and place them both on top of the cheese. Drizzle some of your hot sauce mayo over the burger, and smear some guacamole on the other bun.

If you try it out, let me know what you think, and if/how you decided to tweak it. I thought it was a great combination of flavors, but I felt it was missing something. Next time I think I'll try pickled red onions instead of grilled red onions...there seemed to be a need for some more acidity to balance the smooth, rich tastes and textures of the guacamole. If for no other reason, it'll be a great reason to try the burger again...