Grilled Hatch Double Cheeseburger
By Dennis Linden
This month’s staff recipe, shared by Mario Gonzales of Melissa’s Food Service Sales Department, gives us yet another version of America’s most-favored meal item to chew on: the hamburger. In fact, Mario can trace this recipe to when he was introduced to the Hatch Pepper after becoming a part of Melissa’s team about six years ago.
“During the summer months my family has always enjoyed grilling on the weekends together, even more so now that there are a couple of grandkids to enjoy,” Mario explained. “Burgers allow everyone to cook to taste and then add their own idea of the perfect combo of support ingredients. The first summer I started working at Melissa’s, I learned about the Hatch Pepper, brought some home, and as they say, they rest is Hatch hamburger history. In time, I added the Hatch Salsa, which contributes even more flavors to the mix.”
Mario and family do not dine alone. Amazingly, this country consumes some 50-billion burgers a year! Do the math. There are approximately 325,000,000 people in this country, so that means the average American consumes 154 burgers each year, or three per week, to hit that 50 billion mark. Since there are also recent studies indicating that 5% of the U.S. population claim to be vegetarian or vegan, that means some of you are exceeding more than a trio-per-week! So, here’s a new twist on an old favorite.
The deep flavor of the roasted Hatch Pepper is something special. While the fire and coals are being readied for the burgers, roast the peppers to blacken the outer skin, then pop them in a paper bag to steam while grilling the meat. Once steamed, the outer skin will rub right off under running water. Slit the peppers lengthwise, remove all seeds and lay flat; cut into two pieces for each double burger.
Correction: Double CHEESE-burger is paradise, as the song says! Thank you, Mario, for jettisoning the traditional American cheese that is required to be only 51% real cheese by the FDA; the rest is filled out with other stuff to make it melt easily. He replaced that wimpy cheese-like condiment with a much fuller flavored Gouda. Actually, when gathering the ingredients for this recipe I could not resist upgrading this upgrade, so to speak, with a Smoked Gouda that really contributed to the taste profile and paired wonderfully with the roasted peppers.
The other flavor tweak that made this burger stand out is Melissa’s Hatch Salsa. Hold the mayo! The salsa not only provides natural support for the roasted Hatch pepper in the sandwich, but it also offers much more texture and flavor than mayo could ever hope to match. Again, this simple ingredient switch takes the burger to a new culinary level.
A plate of beautifully presented delicious food is served to a patron at one of Las Vegas’s finest restaurants. What got that plate to the table is what Mario’s job is all about. On one level, the business of restaurants is like any other for-profit endeavor with ledger sheets, cost analysis reports, labor issues, etc. However, the core of any restaurant’s success is the artist in the kitchen. Mario’s job is to support that artist by providing them with a palette of fresh, seasonal, unique ingredients that will inspire culinary creativity. However, if it were that easy, a computer could do the supplying part of the business!
Like most creative artists, a professional chef, no matter the medium, is simply not a “normal” personality. It is literally a 24/7 business that demands extreme sacrifice in one’s personal life. Quirky is a word that is used a lot. A chef may not be able to balance a checkbook, stay in a relationship or even be an attentive parent – but put that artist in front of a stove and watch 30 different plates be managed at once and in sync with the pace of the diners in another room being served multiple courses. Mario must deal with each unique personality, perking interest in new seasons and products that will excite.
“Melissa’s ability to source ingredients globally helps me to challenge our customer chefs to constantly think outside the box. One of the most interesting aspects of informing chefs about new items daily that many have never heard of is watching the creative process of discovery: first tasting, then playing around with support pairings. Also, chefs are always coming up with ideas, so one of the most challenging things can be trying to figure out what a chef is asking for because many make up item names for products that often stumps even a Google search! While the fresh produce business has always been about relationships, that is an extremely critical part of dealing with chef-artists.”
When not noshing with quirky chefs, Mario admits to enjoying a very painful pastime—golf. A sport that has been described as a beautiful walk in a park, interrupted regularly by the frustration of trying to hit a little white ball.
“I really enjoy golfing, in theory. After all, it gets me out of doors where there are no tables or kitchens. While I am not the best, it is always great to hang out with friends who share the same rhetorical question I do after most rounds: why do we continue to insist on paying to play a game that we’re all so bad at!”
Actually, Mario’s preferred sports are attending his 6-year-old grandson’s soccer games or his 4-year-old granddaughter’s dance recitals. He doesn’t have to pay, and he’s good at it! And while the mouse trap apparently has never been improved upon, we now have a much better burger! Thank you, Mario!
Grilled Hatch Double Cheeseburger
Ingredients
1 Hatch pepper, fresh roasted, peeled, trimmed sliced lengthwise to lay flat
2 ground beef patties, grilled
2 slices Gouda cheese
1 Brioche bun, buttered, slightly scored on the grill
Hatch Salsa
¼ Red onion, round slices
Handful Baby Arugula
Preparation
Once the fire is at proper temperature, start by first roasting the peppers on all sides, then transfer to a paper bag to steam for about 10 minutes.
While peppers are steaming, grill two patties to taste for each serving. A minute or two before removing the patties, grill both the top and bottom of each bun. Also, add 1 piece of sliced cheese to each burger until slightly melted.
Building the burger: Generously spread Hatch Salsa on the bottom of grilled brioche buns, place a small bit of greens on the bottom bun, then one burger topped with one piece of the Hatch pepper laid flat.
Now top with the second patty, the second half of pepper, then red onion slices topped with more greens. Spread more Hatch Salsa on the top bun, and enjoy!
“During the summer months my family has always enjoyed grilling on the weekends together, even more so now that there are a couple of grandkids to enjoy,” Mario explained. “Burgers allow everyone to cook to taste and then add their own idea of the perfect combo of support ingredients. The first summer I started working at Melissa’s, I learned about the Hatch Pepper, brought some home, and as they say, they rest is Hatch hamburger history. In time, I added the Hatch Salsa, which contributes even more flavors to the mix.”
Mario and family do not dine alone. Amazingly, this country consumes some 50-billion burgers a year! Do the math. There are approximately 325,000,000 people in this country, so that means the average American consumes 154 burgers each year, or three per week, to hit that 50 billion mark. Since there are also recent studies indicating that 5% of the U.S. population claim to be vegetarian or vegan, that means some of you are exceeding more than a trio-per-week! So, here’s a new twist on an old favorite.
The deep flavor of the roasted Hatch Pepper is something special. While the fire and coals are being readied for the burgers, roast the peppers to blacken the outer skin, then pop them in a paper bag to steam while grilling the meat. Once steamed, the outer skin will rub right off under running water. Slit the peppers lengthwise, remove all seeds and lay flat; cut into two pieces for each double burger.
Correction: Double CHEESE-burger is paradise, as the song says! Thank you, Mario, for jettisoning the traditional American cheese that is required to be only 51% real cheese by the FDA; the rest is filled out with other stuff to make it melt easily. He replaced that wimpy cheese-like condiment with a much fuller flavored Gouda. Actually, when gathering the ingredients for this recipe I could not resist upgrading this upgrade, so to speak, with a Smoked Gouda that really contributed to the taste profile and paired wonderfully with the roasted peppers.
The other flavor tweak that made this burger stand out is Melissa’s Hatch Salsa. Hold the mayo! The salsa not only provides natural support for the roasted Hatch pepper in the sandwich, but it also offers much more texture and flavor than mayo could ever hope to match. Again, this simple ingredient switch takes the burger to a new culinary level.
Like most creative artists, a professional chef, no matter the medium, is simply not a “normal” personality. It is literally a 24/7 business that demands extreme sacrifice in one’s personal life. Quirky is a word that is used a lot. A chef may not be able to balance a checkbook, stay in a relationship or even be an attentive parent – but put that artist in front of a stove and watch 30 different plates be managed at once and in sync with the pace of the diners in another room being served multiple courses. Mario must deal with each unique personality, perking interest in new seasons and products that will excite.
“Melissa’s ability to source ingredients globally helps me to challenge our customer chefs to constantly think outside the box. One of the most interesting aspects of informing chefs about new items daily that many have never heard of is watching the creative process of discovery: first tasting, then playing around with support pairings. Also, chefs are always coming up with ideas, so one of the most challenging things can be trying to figure out what a chef is asking for because many make up item names for products that often stumps even a Google search! While the fresh produce business has always been about relationships, that is an extremely critical part of dealing with chef-artists.”
When not noshing with quirky chefs, Mario admits to enjoying a very painful pastime—golf. A sport that has been described as a beautiful walk in a park, interrupted regularly by the frustration of trying to hit a little white ball.
“I really enjoy golfing, in theory. After all, it gets me out of doors where there are no tables or kitchens. While I am not the best, it is always great to hang out with friends who share the same rhetorical question I do after most rounds: why do we continue to insist on paying to play a game that we’re all so bad at!”
Actually, Mario’s preferred sports are attending his 6-year-old grandson’s soccer games or his 4-year-old granddaughter’s dance recitals. He doesn’t have to pay, and he’s good at it! And while the mouse trap apparently has never been improved upon, we now have a much better burger! Thank you, Mario!
Grilled Hatch Double Cheeseburger
1 Hatch pepper, fresh roasted, peeled, trimmed sliced lengthwise to lay flat
2 ground beef patties, grilled
2 slices Gouda cheese
1 Brioche bun, buttered, slightly scored on the grill
Hatch Salsa
¼ Red onion, round slices
Handful Baby Arugula
Preparation
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