Backyard Burgeritto

This recipe was inspired by my teenage son who could eat burritos for every meal (if he was allowed). Since we love cheeseburgers cooked on our backyard deck, I attempted to mingle our favorite burrito components—spicy beef, cheese and sour cream—with the flavor and sizzle of the grill. Like the make-your-own burritos we often have for dinner, these burgers can be assembled to suit individualized tastes. And the crispy, folded and grilled tortilla makes the burger easy to eat by the pool. Is it a burger? Is it a burrito? It’s a burgeritto!

Ingredients:

Patties

1 tsp. ground ancho chilies

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

2 large cloves garlic, peeled, smashed

2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo, seeds scraped and discarded

1 tsp. adobo sauce

2 lbs. ground chuck

Jamaican Relish

½ cup (2 oz.) fresh jicama, fine julienne

2 T. red onion, fine dice

½ cup (4 oz.) diced fresh tomatoes

2 tsp. lime juice

¼ tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Sour Cream Sauce

½ cup sour cream

2 T. sliced scallions, with some green

1 T. chopped cilantro

1/2 tsp. lime juice

¼ tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Chipotle Butter

6 T. unsalted butter, melted

½ tsp. chipotle pepper sauce (I use McIlhenny brand)

¼ tsp. salt

1 T. minced fresh oregano (or 1 tsp. dried crushed oregano)

6 large (10″) flour tortillas

1 cup prepared (canned) enchilada sauce

6 oz. shredded mild cheddar

Instructions:

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

To make the patties, combine the chile powder, cumin, salt, pepper, garlic, chipotle peppers and adobo in a small food processor; pulse to a paste. Spread beef in a wide bowl; using a rubber spatula, smear chile paste over the surface of the meat. Gently mix, distributing paste throughout the meat (it will look a little streaky). Carefully pat mixture into 6 loose patties (6 oz. each). Cover; refrigerate.

To prepare the relish, combine all of the ingredients, cover and refrigerate.

To prepare the sour cream sauce, combine all of the ingredients, cover and refrigerate.

To prepare chipotle butter, combine the ingredients; keep warm.

Wrap tortillas in a double thickness of foil. Pour enchilada sauce in a small sauce pan. Place both on highest shelf above the grill heat to warm.

When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning once, until done to preference, 5 to 7 minutes on each side for medium. Move burgers away from heat.

To assemble each burgeritto, brush each side of one tortilla with reserved chipotle butter. Using tongs, dip a cooked burger into warm enchilada sauce; position in center of tortilla. Top with 1 oz. cheese and 1 T. reserved sour cream sauce. Fold two opposite sides of tortilla over the filling, then fold up the two remaining sides to make a square (press gently to seal top edges). Return burgeritto to grill, seam-side down. Grill 2-3 minutes (until crisp with golden grill marks); turn over. Grill 2-3 more minutes. Repeat with remaining tortillas, burgers, enchilada sauce, cheese and sour cream sauce.

To serve, place on service dish and slightly open edges of tortilla. Spoon 1 (generous) tablespoon reserved relish on burger; close. Serve immediately (and enjoy.)