Recipe: Tortilla-Wrapped New Mexican Chile Burgers with Chile Relish (wrapped in a bun, then in a tortilla)

TORTILLA-WRAPPED NEW MEXICAN CHILE BURGERS



"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it. The first time we served this burger at a party, the jokes were flying. A burger in a bun, wrapped in a tortilla? "The Carb Burger," people called it. Then they started eating, and nobody was joking any more. We're not recommending that you eat like this every day. All we can say is, it's even better than it looks. And if you have any relish left over, enjoy it with your morning eggs."

FOR THE GREEN CHILE RELISH:
2 New Mexican green chiles (or poblano chiles), roasted, peeled, seeded, stemmed, and roughly chopped
1⁄4 medium red onion, diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 1⁄2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
3⁄4 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄2 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
FOR THE BURGERS:
1 1⁄2 pounds ground chuck, or chuck for grinding
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
2 tablespoons ground New Mexico chile (or to taste)
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Oil for frying
FOR SERVING:
8 slices pepper Jack cheese or your favorite cheese
4 burger buns, toasted
4 (twelve-inch) flour tortillas
Egg wash: 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for tortilla wraps

TO MAKE THE GREEN CHILE RELISH:
In a small bowl, mix together the New Mexican chiles, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper.

Set aside until the burgers are ready.

TO MAKE THE BURGERS:
If you are grinding the meat, mix the chuck with the cumin and chili powder and grind. If you have ground meat, add the spices and mix thoroughly. Shape the burgers.

Heat a skillet over high heat until very hot. If you have an infrared thermometer, the skillet should register at least 500 degrees F. Or test by brushing on a bit of oil. When the skillet starts to smoke, it is ready.

Brush oil onto the skillet and sear the burgers for 2 minutes per side. Remove the burgers from the heat and transfer to a sheet pan. Quickly spread about 2 tablespoons of Green Chile Relish on each one and quickly top with 2 slices of cheese. Let the burgers rest on the pan for a minute so the cheese sets.

Fill a saucepan (or Windsor pan) with 4-inches of oil and heat to 350 degrees F.

While the oil is heating, wrap the burgers. Place each burger in a burger bun. One at a time, invert the burger, in its bun, onto the center of a tortilla and wrap the tortilla around it, making overlapping folds and using egg wash to hold down each fold. The result should look something like a pentagon.

Place burgers in the pan, fold side down. Fry for about 2 minutes per side until the tortillas are evenly browned and crispy. Serve immediately with green chile relish.

Source: Wicked Good Burgers by Andy Husbands, Andrea Pyenson and Chris Hart