OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle

Burgers, Sandwiches & Pizza

Poblano Burger

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Ahhh, the sexy Poblano Burger. The perfect addition to your Memorial Day BBQ. Inspired by flavors of the Southwest, this burger is topped in a luscious green chile queso layered with thick cut smokey bacon, fire roasted poblano peppers and pickled red onions.

This right here, has to be one of my all time favorite burger combinations. The green chile queso is seriously addicting to the point that I find myself dipping chip after endless chip into it as I wait for the burgers to be ready.

The combination of the mild poblano pepper with the creamy queso and smokey bacon paired with bright, acidic pickled red onions sends flavor vibes all through your mouth.

You guys are going to love this burger! Check back for more grilling recipes to make your Memorial Day party a hit.

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Poblano Burger

Ahhh, the sexy Poblano Burger. The perfect addition to your Memorial Day BBQ. Inspired by flavors of the Southwest, this burger is topped in a luscious green chile queso layered with thick cut smokey bacon, fire roasted poblano peppers and pickled red onions.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Burgers, Sandwiches, Pizza
Keyword Burger, Memorial Day Recipes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground sirloin formed into 4 patties
  • 4 pretzel or brioche hamburger buns gently toasted
  • 4 slices thick cut bacon cooked
  • 4 poblano peppers fire roasted, skin and seeds removed

Green Chile Queso

  • 1/4 cup butter half a stick
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 cup sharp white cheddar such as Tillamook
  • 1 4 oz can of fire roasted green chiles

Pickled Red Onions

  • 1 small red onion very thinly sliced
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

Pickled Red Onions

  • Make these before you do anything else because they need to sit for 30 minutes.
  • Place very thinly sliced red onions in a bowl. Stir together remaining ingredients and pour over onions. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Green Chile Queso

  • Melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir flour into melted butter and cook, stirring continuously, for about 2 minutes. Add milk and continue to stir as the mixture starts to thicken. Reduce heat to low and add cheese. Stir to combine. Add fire roasted green chile peppers. Keep warm on very low heat until ready to use.

Burgers

  • Prepare grill. If using charcoal, wait until coals turn grey before cooking.
  • Season burger patties with salt and pepper. Drizzle with vegetable oil.
  • Grill until desired doneness (145 degrees to 160 degrees)

Prepare Burgers

  • Smear the bottom bun with a spoonful of queso. Top with burger patty, then poblano, bacon and more queso. Cover with pickled red onions and top bun.

Notes

How to roast a poblano:  Place whole poblano on sheet pan and under broiler until charred on all sides.  Remove from broiler to a covered bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.  This allows the skin to “steam” off the flesh of the poblano.  Remove from bowl and peel skin off, remove stem and seeds from inside of the poblano.
Cooking bacon:  Place strips of bacon on two paper towels, cover with another two paper towels.  Place in microwave for 2 1/2 minutes.  

Grilled Patty Melt

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Is it lunch time yet? This seasoned patty gets grilled, smothered in caramelized onions and mushrooms, then topped with melty sharp white cheddar cheese and served between two sourdough sandwich rounds.

What makes a Grilled Patty Melt a patty melt and not a burger? Well, I’m glad you asked. Patty melts skip the bun and use use a good quality bread. Usually rye, but I’m loving @seattlebaking Sourdough Sandwich Rounds. They crisp up really nicely and are the perfect shape for a patty. This ground beef patty gets seasoned a little more than your burger. Onion and garlic powder add a depth of flavor that goes perfectly with grilled onions and mushrooms. And you definitely need a good melting cheese. I can’t think of a better choice than @tillamook Sharp White Cheddar to really highlight the onion and mushrooms. It’s got the perfect melt to give you a nice melty drip down the side of the patty and that sharp cheddar tanginess to brighten everything up. A N D finally, that special sauce, which most of us know by now is a blend of mayonnaise, ketchup and sweet relish.

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Grilled Patty Melt

This seasoned patty gets grilled, smothered in caramelized onions and mushrooms, then topped with melty sharp white cheddar cheese and served between two sourdough sandwich rounds
Course Main Course
Cuisine Burgers, Sandwiches, Pizza
Keyword Patty melt
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Grilled Patty

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 12 drops Worcestershire sauce (about 3 drops per patty)
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil

Other Items

  • 4 sourdough sandwich rounds (such as Seattle Baking) toasted in toaster
  • 1/2 cup micro greens (found in produce usually next to sprouts)
  • 8 large sharp white cheddar cheese slices (such as Tillamook)

Special Sauce

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1 tbsp sweet relish

Onions and Mushrooms

  • 1 medium sweet yellow onion thinly sliced in rounds
  • 2 cups mushrooms (button, baby bella, cremini) sliced
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Grilled Patty

  • Fire up the grill. I prefer charcoal. If using charcoal, make sure to wait until coals are completely grey.
  • Form ground beef into 4 round patties. Using thumb, press in the middle to make an indentation so edges are a little bigger. This helps in cooking evenly.
  • In a small bowl, mix together onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Season each side of each patty. Drizzle each side of each patty with vegetable oil.
  • Grill patties making sure to get a nice browned crust on each side. After you have flipped to grill second side of patty, add 1/4 of the onion/mushroom mixture on each patty and top with 2 slices of sharp white cheddar cheese. Cover and cook until cheese is melted.
  • Serve on toasted sourdough sandwich rounds that have been smeared with special sauce and top with 1/4 of the micro greens.

Special Sauce

  • Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

Onions and Mushrooms

  • heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add oil and half of the butter. Add onion rings and cook, stirring frequently until softened. Add mushrooms and stir together. Add remaining butter. Cook for about 5 minutes or until nice and caramelized.

Crispy Mexican Pizzas

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Crispy Mexican pizzas blend two of my favorite foods together and it’s a great way to us leftover pulled pork. Crispy tortilla, bean smear, creamy Jack cheese and, of course, all the fun toppings. Pickled onions brighten everything, cilantro adds the freshness and cotija cheese for a little saltiness. These little cuties are ready in no time at all!

Back in the day, my friends and I would come in from a night of fun, with the 2 a.m. munchies. The first thing we would do was raid the cupboards for anything that could make with quickness. We made this thing we liked to call Mexican Pizza. Although a little less refined than this recipe, basically we topped a flour tortilla with pizza sauce and cheese then zapped it in the microwave for a minute and chowed down. It satisfied all the late night cravings of greasy, cheesy and crunchy.

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Crispy Mexican Pizzas

Two of my favorite foods combined into one crispy bite
Course Main Course
Cuisine Burgers, Sandwiches, Pizza
Keyword crispy flour tostadas, Mexican pizza
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 16 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Pulled Pork

  • 6-7 lb pork shoulder roast, bone in
  • 1 tbsp achiote paste Found in Mexican aisle at grocery
  • 1 tbsp Tajin Mexican seasoning
  • 1/2 lime, squeezed
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 1 1/2 – 2 cup water

Pickled Red Onions

  • 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt

Salsa Verde

  • 6 tomatillos, husks removed
  • 1 yellow onion, quartered
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tsp sugar

Other ingredients

  • 12 tbsp prepared bean dip
  • 8 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 12 mini flour tortillas (street taco size)

Instructions

Pulled Pork

  • Mix achiote paste with lime juice and massage over pork roast.  Season with Tajin Mexican seasoning and place in crockpot together with onion and water.  Cook about 6-8 hours or until fork tender.  Remove, let cool and shred.  You will only be using 1-2 cups of the meat.   Save the remainder for another use, like burritos.

Pickled Red Onions

  • Mix together  vinegar, salt and sugar in a medium bowl.  Place onions in mixture, cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour.  You may need to stir every 15 minutes if the liquid doesn’t reach all of the onion slices.

Salsa Verde

  • Place tomatillos, onion and jalapeno on a sheet pan and broil until charred.  Remove from oven and blend together with water and sugar. (This makes more than you will need for pizzas.  Save remainder for another use like salsa or burritos)

Assembly

  • Microwave flour tortillas:  Place 2 tortillas on a paper towel and cover with another paper towel.  Microwave for 1 minute. They should be firm.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  
  • Move tortillas to sheet pans. Spread 1 tbsp bean dip on each tortilla.  top with 1 tbsp Monterrey Jack cheese and about 1 tbsp shredded pork. Broil until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and garnish with pickled red onion, salsa verde, cotija cheese and cilantro.

Notes

Use leftover pulled pork to make this recipe quick

Bacon Chipotle Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese

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It’s #nationalgrilledcheeseday, like everyone’s fave day, right? I mean who doesnt LOVE everything cheesy? I took my favorite bacon wrapped jalapeno popper and basically smashed it between two perfectly toasted sourdough slices because one, Seattle is known for it’s super awesome sourdough and two, why not smash something totally awesome together?

Cheesy goodness right here. Bacon jalapeno grilled cheese.

This recipe started when we had leftover bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers that I stuffed  with chipotle cream  cheese, yes, we like it spicy round here. My kids wanted a grilled cheese and one thing led to another. The chipotle just adds that little bit of smokiness that pairs perfectly with the smoky bacon and cool creamy cream  cheese.  AND I absolutely love using Seattle Sourdough Baking Company bread. They’ve been around on Pier 57 since the early 80’s pumping out THE BEST sourdough around!

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Bacon Chipotle Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese

Course Main Course
Cuisine Burgers, Sandwiches, Pizza
Keyword national grilled cheese day, sandwich
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 8 slices thick cut bread I like sourdough
  • 4 jalapeno roasted, seeds removed
  • 8 slices bacon cooked
  • 1 cup cream cheese whipped
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese grated
  • 1 cup monterey jack cheese grated
  • ¼ cup chipotle in adobo sauce
  • 8 tbsp butter

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, chipotle, mozzarella and monterey jack cheese
  • Spread cheese mixture over 4 of the slices of bread
  • Top each with with one jalapeno (tear in half to cover surface)
  • Top with 1 ½ slices bacon and other piece of bread
  • In a large saute pan, melt 2 tbsp butter
  • Grill two of the sandwiches at a time until brown on one side (I put a lid over to melt cheese better)
  • Add another 2 tbsp butter and flip over cooking until browned
  • Repeat with other two sandwiches

Asian Fusion Fish Sandwich

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Spicy mayo gives this crispy fish sandwich a bit of a kick.

The first day of Spring deserves something colorful and packed with fresh vegetables like this Asian Fusion Fish Sandwich. Spicy mayo gives this crunchy beer battered fish sandwich a bit of a kick and King’s Hawaiian rolls bring the sweetness to round out the perfect bite.

This beer battered cod uses Corona for an extra light and crisp coating. I find that letting the batter sit for 10 to 15 minutes before dipping the cod makes a huge difference in the final product. Another great tip is to season, season, season. Layers of light seasoning really build flavor and ALWAYS season your fish right out of the fryer. It’s a must!

This recipe makes a fabulous fish taco! All you do is switch out the King’s Hawaiian roll for flour tortillas. It’s that easy! Hello Spring!

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Asian Fusion Fish Sandwich

Spicy mayo gives this crispy fish sandwich a kick.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Burgers, Sandwiches, Pizza
Keyword asian fish sandwich, fish sandwich, fishwich
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 4 King’s Hawaiian hamburger buns
  • 2 snapper fillets cut in half (make sure there are no bones)
  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ cup cornstarch
  • 1 ½ cup Corona or other light beer
  • 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 cup flour
  • Vegetable oil for frying

Asian slaw

  • 1 cup red cabbage shredded
  • 1 cup Napa cabbage shredded
  • 1 carrot julienne
  • 1 green onion sliced
  • ¼ cup cilantro chopped

Asian slaw dressing

  • 1 tsp fresh ginger grated
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 3 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 3 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp light olive oil

Spicy mayo

  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp horseradish hot kind
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 squeeze lime

Instructions

Asian slaw

  • Combine all ingredients together in a medium bowl and toss with Asian slaw dressing.

Asian slaw dressing

  • Combine all ingredients together and toss with Asian slaw.

Spicy mayo

  • Combine all ingredients together and set aside.

Fish

  • In a medium bowl make batter: combine flour, cornstarch, Corona, Cajun seasoning and salt and pepper. Let sit for about 15 minutes while you prepare slaw and mayo.
  • Place 1 cup flour in a small bowl.
  • Heat vegetable oil over high heat in a frying pan.
  • Pat fish fillets dry with paper towels and dredge in flour then in batter.
  • Place fillets in hot oil and fry until golden brown.
  • Remove and drain on wire rack, salt and pepper to taste.
  • Prepare sandwich: Spread spicy mayo on top and bottom buns, place piece of fish on bottom bun, slaw on top of fish and top with bun.