Couples Night - Staci Morgan, Marlee Magee

Gourmet Burgers and Fries

For the record, we used elk meat on the night of the dinner….I also cheated on the cheese sauce and used Velveeta!

Tex-Mex bacon cheese burgers

Ingredients

• 12 slices good-quality smoky bacon, 4 slices finely chopped and 8 left whole
• 1 1/4 pounds 80% lean ground beef
• 3-4 tablespoons onion, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 2 tablespoons pureed chipotle in adobo sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper
• Vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (14 ounces), well drained
• 4 soft burger rolls, split
• Crisp yellow corn chips
• Toppings: Chopped onion, tomatoes, cilantro and pickled jalapeño

Preparation

Arrange the eight whole bacon slices on a broiler pan and bake at 375°F until crisp, 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, pre-heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Combine the beef, chopped bacon, grated onion, garlic, chipotle puree and Worcestershire sauce; season with salt and pepper. Form into four patties (thinner at the center); drizzle with oil. Grill the burgers for 5 minutes on each side for medium doneness.

Make the queso sauce: In a medium size saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk. Stir in the cheese to melt. Stir in the tomatoes.

Place the burgers on the bun bottoms and top with the queso sauce, criss-crossed bacon strips, corn chips, remaining toppings and bun tops. Serve with extra sauce on the side.

Fry Sauces

 Root Beer BBQ Sauce:

Combine a 12-ounce can of root beer, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup each lemon juice and orange juice, 2 tablespoons each barbecue sauce, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon molasses and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger in a saucepan. Simmer until thick, stirring, 45 minutes

Chili Sauce:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

We ended up using a different avocado sauce at the dinner, but this is a really yummy one too…

Avocado-Chile Spread:

 Puree 1 avocado, 1/2 cup sour cream or crema, 1/4 cup canned chopped green chiles, the juice of 1 lime and 1/2 clove garlic until smooth. Season with salt.