Jalapeno Cheddar Chorizo Burger with Chipotle-Ranch Dressing

Pairs well with:

Pinot Grigio

You won’t need a bouquet of flowers when you share our Pinot Grigio. This crisp wine with floral aromas is a wonderful way to make an entrance.

I live in Fort Collins, a town along the northern front range of Colorado. Ft. Collins has long been known as a farm and ranch town, but it has a strong Hispanic presence as well. With this combination in mind comes the Jalapeno Cheddar Chorizo Burger with Chipotle Ranch Dressing- a delightful blend of Mexican and classic American flavors.

Ingredients:

CHIPOTLE-RANCH DRESSING:
1/3 cup Ranch dressing
1 TBSP chipotle sauce

6 Anaheim green chilies

PATTIES:
1 pound ground chorizo sausage
1 pound ground chuck
1/2 TSP kosher salt
2 TBSP canned chopped jalapenos
2 TBSP lime juice
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar, frozen
steak seasoning

Vegetable oil, for brushing on grill rack
6 slices Monteray Jack Cheese
12 slices avocado
2 Hothouse tomatoes, sliced
6 romaine lettuce leaves
1 medium onion, sliced
6 fresh sopapillas, split

Instructions:

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or pre-heat a gas grill to medium-high.

To make the chipotle-ranch dressing, add chipotle sauce to ranch dressing. Whisk together and refrigerate until ready to use.

When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with oil. Place the Anaheim chilies on the grill rack, cover, and cook, turning often, until skins are brown. Remove from heat. Place chilies in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap until cool. Remove skins, seeds, and stems under running water, and set chilies aside until ready to use.

To make the patties, combine the chuck, chorizo, kosher salt, jalapenos, lime juice, and shredded cheddar. Mix well. Divide into 6 equal portions and form into patties. Sprinkle a generous amount of steak seasoning on top.

Re-oil the grill rack. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning once, until done, about 7-10 minutes on each side. It is important to cook the patties to well done, as chorizo is a pork sausage. When burgers are done cooking, top with cheese, cover, and turn off heat. Let sit for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove from grill.

To assemble the burgers, spread a generous amount of the chipotle-ranch dressing on the sopapilla tops. On each bottom, place a patty, one green chili, a lettuce leaf, two slices of avocado, one tomato slice, and some onion. Add the sopapilla tops and serve.