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Thursday, August 28, 2014

Green Chili and Avocado Burger

This is a messy picture, but I felt a very very deep need to share it...
So I've been avoiding the charred chili process since I moved to Lyon because I don't have a gas stove (or bbq).  I always used tongs to hold my bell or chili over the open flame of a gas burner to get that charred effect, making the skin much much easier to remove.  When you're planning on cooking the chilis or bell peppers, unless you have digestive issues, you really don't need to go through this step, because the work is not worth the effort in the end.  But when you're going to then marinate them in some olive oil or use them in a salad or as a topping, this process is definitely worth every second.
By the way.. I season and shape my own burgers.. and sometimes I even grind the meat myself.  I'm not sure I've ever shared the seasoning recipe.. but that may be because I never measure, so it might be extremely annoying to those of you who need exact measurements.
I'll give basic instructions, but this is just "to taste" which I agree is very hard to follow because if you've never done it, you don't have a "to taste" reference.
Makes 4 burgers
Lets say I have about 800g (28.2oz)  of ground beef, separated into 200g (7oz) piles
few squirts tabasco, tapatio, or frank's hot sauce (depending on what I have on hand)
few squirts Worchesterchire sauce
drizzle of EVOO
few cracks black pepper
2 shakes Red Robin seasoning (or a mix of garlic powder, onion powder, ground celery, paprika, and salt)
some dried tarragon (or parsley, but I have a large stock of tarragon)
Then I use my little hands to mix everything together into the ball and shape them into "squares" because my burger buns are square.

So.. I don't have a gas stove, but I do have a high oven setting.  I simply placed this beauty whole on some foil on an oven tray closest to the broiler on the highest heat, and cooked it for about 20 minutes, flipping it once to get that char on both sides.
Then I removed it and placed it into a plastic bag for about 5-10 minutes to let it "sweat," making the pyjama removal process much much easier.
And there she is.. sneakily slipping out of her pyjamas..I love the aroma that finds its way to my nostrils during this process.. it reminded me of chile rellenos.. mega flashback!  I just might be able to recreate those here, if I'm careful and find some big enough chilis.  Ooh! Project!
I purposely re-used my griddle pan after last night's fiasco.  No throat grasping tonight though..
I first added my undressed chili.  I should have done 2.  I thought it might be too much.. but seriously... you can never have enough chilis.
Then I added some compté cheese and some raw onions.  I'm really digging the raw onions these days.  I used to always grill them and deglaze with balsamic vinegar, which is lovely, but I like the crunch of rawness... raawwrr!
Notice the non chili burger in the background.  Hahaaa that one got some pickles instead (for color).
The montage consisted of a sunny side up egg, a quarter of a ripe avocado, some tomatoes, and romaine lettuce.  The meat side of the bun was slathered with a sauce they call "Samourai" here which is somewhat of a spicy mayonnaise that works well with burgers.

And Yes.. I say Yes!!
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