The New Mexico State Fair starts this week.
I have been a few times over the years.
Mostly for the food.
I suppose there are rides. Animals. Exhibits. Competitions. Probably all sorts of wholesome things happening that I should pretend are the reason I went.
But there is food.
And every year, right around this time, I start paying attention to the news to see who won the competition for the best green chile cheeseburger.
If the winner is somewhere close enough, I might even think about paying them a visit.
I say think about it because apparently I have reached the age where driving across town for a cheeseburger requires some consideration.
But a good green chile cheeseburger can make a convincing argument.
This year, though, I have been cooking a lot more.
And eating better.
So I had an idea.
Maybe I could make my own green chile cheeseburger.
A healthy green chile cheeseburger.
I sat with that idea for a minute.
And realized it made me feel roughly the same way I feel when somebody says healthy soul food.
I understand what they mean.
I appreciate the intention.
But sometimes I don’t want cauliflower pretending it is something it isn’t.
We eat some foods because they nourish the body.
We eat some foods because they nourish something else.
And sometimes the healthiest relationship you can have with food is knowing the difference.
I don’t eat green chile cheeseburgers every day.
I don’t even eat them every week.
So if I am going to have one during State Fair season, I don’t particularly want a turkey patty hiding beneath a lettuce wrap while I convince myself I am having the same experience.
I want beef.
I want cheese.
I want a toasted bun.
And I want enough roasted New Mexico green chile that there is absolutely no question about where this burger came from.
One won’t hurt.
It’s the fair.
So rather than trying to make the healthiest green chile cheeseburger I could, I decided to make the best one I could.
That started with the beef.
The Salt, Ink & Soul Green Chile Cheeseburger
Makes 4 burgers
For the Burgers
- 1 pound ground beef, preferably 80/20 or 85/15
- 4 hamburger buns
- 4 slices American cheese, Monterey Jack, or your favorite melting cheese
- 1 cup roasted, peeled, and chopped New Mexico green chile
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- Lettuce, optional
- Tomato slices, optional
Spicy-But-Not-Hot Burger Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon mild New Mexico red chile powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, crushed between your fingers
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
The name is deliberate.
I want the beef seasoned.
I want some warmth.
I want that combination of chile, smoke, cumin, and oregano working underneath everything else.
What I don’t want is so much heat that I can’t taste the green chile.
There is a difference between spicy and hot.
This burger is spicy.
The green chile decides how hot things get.
Make the Burgers
Put the ground beef in a bowl and add the Worcestershire sauce. Mix it very gently with your hands, just enough to distribute it.
Divide the beef into four equal portions and form them into patties about 4 ounces each.
Don’t work the meat too much.
This is a hamburger, not a stress ball.
Combine the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, red chile powder, smoked paprika, cumin, black pepper, and oregano in a small bowl.
Season both sides of the patties generously.
Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high to high heat.
When the surface is hot, add the burgers.
Leave them alone long enough to develop a good brown crust before flipping.
While the burgers cook, sauté the sliced onion until softened and browned around the edges.
During the last minute or two of cooking, pile roasted green chile onto each burger.
Then add the cheese.
Let it melt down over the chile and the edges of the beef.
That little bit of excess is important.
Lightly toast the buns in the skillet.
They should pick up just enough beef drippings to remind you that we abandoned the healthy-burger idea several paragraphs ago.
Build It
I would keep this fairly simple.
Bottom bun.
Lettuce and tomato, if you want them.
Burger.
Green chile.
Melted cheese.
Grilled onions.
Top bun.
You can add mustard if you like. Maybe a little mayo.
But don’t bury it in sauce.
A green chile cheeseburger should taste like beef, chile, and cheese.
Everything else is supporting cast.
One Won’t Hurt
Something strange about the way we sometimes approach eating better.
Once we decide to take care of ourselves, we begin treating every indulgence like evidence against us.
The cheeseburger becomes a failure.
The slice of cake becomes a confession.
The meal we enjoyed becomes something we believe we have to make up for tomorrow.
I don’t think I want to live that way.
Eating better most days matters.
Moving your body matters.
Taking care of yourself matters.
But so does sitting down with something delicious and allowing it to simply be delicious.
No guilt.
No negotiation.
No cauliflower standing nearby waiting for an audition.
The State Fair comes once a year.
Green chile season doesn’t last forever.
Maybe you just make a really good one.
Season the beef.
Roast the chile.
Melt the cheese.
Toast the bun.
Sit down.
And eat.
It’s the fair.
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Resources for Hard Times
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