Santa Fe Burger

The first time I made this burger was for a date night at home and it is one delicious cheeseburger.  Along with the cheeseburgers we had homemade onion rings, what can I say, we were trying to watch our calorie intake and this meal seemed to fit the bill!

Santa Fe Burger

Burgers

1 large poblano chile

1 tablespoons canola oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck (80 percent lean)

4 hamburger buns, spilt, buttered, and toasted

Blue corn tortilla chips

Queso Sauce

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

8 ounces Pepper Jack cheese, coarsely grated (about 2 cups)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

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 on the grill.

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.

*The queso is great as a dipping sauce for extra tortilla chips.

Adapted slightly from Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries, and Shakes