Recipe for a Delicious Summer

I love a fat, juicy, grilled burger once in a while.  I wish I could take credit for this, but someone (else) in a stroke of genius came up with the idea of combining a jalapeno popper and a burger.  You basically take a hamburger patty, top it with a cream cheese, roasted jalapeno, bacon mixture, add another another burger, grill it, and top the whole thing with pepper jack cheese.  THEN, you finish off the delicious, cheesy, bacony, jalapenoey burger with lettuce, tomato, and – wait for it -guacamole! I know!  These suckers will have you drooling.

You can control the amount of heat in this recipe by using more or less jalapenos.  I think of myself as someone who’s limit for spiciness is maxed out at medium, and I thought the heat level in these was totally tolerable and quite enjoyable.  If you’re really feeling froggy, you could add some cayenne pepper to the beef.

Tim and I both loved these, and he especially appreciated the jalapenos.  They will definitely be making an appearance (and disappearance) around our house again this summer.

Jalapeno Popper Burgers

Adapted from Taste of Home

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients:

• 3 jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 6 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened (I used fat free)
• 1.5 pounds ground beef
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 slices pepper Jack cheese
• 4 hamburger buns, split
• 4 lettuce leaves
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 3/4 cup guacamole

Directions:

Preheat broiler and move oven rack to highest or second highest position.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Lightly coat jalapeno halves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Lay them on the baking sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until the skin is blistered and they begin to brown around the edges.  When cool enough to handle, finely chop.  You can remove the skin or leave it on – I removed it.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, bacon crumbles, and chopped jalapeno.

In a large bowl, mix ground beef with Worcestershire, garlic, lemon zest, paprika, salt and pepper until just combined.  Do not overmix.  Form the beef into a mound and then score it into four equal parts.  From each fourth, make two thin patties.  Spoon 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture onto four of the patties.  Top with remaining patties and press edges firmly to seal well.

Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160° and juices run clear. Top with pepper Jack cheese. Cover and cook 1-2 minutes longer or until pepper Jack cheese is melted.  Serve burgers on buns with lettuce, tomato, and guacamole.