recipe: tex mex burgers

scarily, it's been a while since it's been burger night in this hizouse, and even the shortage of propane is no excuse. i had pre-prepped pattys from the summer ready to go in the freezer, so it seemed like the right thing to do today to thaw out a few of these puppies. these burgers are a fusion of my 2 favorite (to date) tex mex burgers, Cream Cheese Jalapeno Hamburgers and Tex Mex Burger with Cajun Mayo, both from allrecipes.com. the cajun mayo may seem like a bit much on a cream cheese stuffed burger, but if you jack this baby up with enough spice it all really holds its own (we popped even more jalapeno on top for kicks. this is a complete burger-purists nightmare, but this is the stuff dreams are made of if you're in the mood for a party pants burger).

ingredients list (makes 4 burgers):
- 1 lb ground beef (i think i used 85%)
- 4 jalepenos, seeded & chopped
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp worcestershire
- 1 tbsp & 1 tsp cajun seasoning
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 tsp chili paste (or oil)
- 1/2 package (4 oz) cream cheese
- 4 slices pepperjack cheese
- 4 burger buns
- kosher salt & fresh cracked black pepper
- lettuce & tomato (optional)

to make: preheat grill on medium-high heat, or warm cast iron pan in oven on 400 degrees for 10 min. mix together the ground beef, 1 jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, worchestershire, and 1 tbsp cajun seasoning. divide into 8 even-sized balls, and smoosh into pattys (they should be about 1/4 inch thick/ea). mix together cream cheese and remaining 3 jalapenos, and place an even amount of the mixture onto the center 4 of the pattys (you may also choose to use whole sliced jalapenos for this step... i find that they are hard to bite into and slip out of the burger this way though). top these pattys with the remaining 4 pattys, and smoosh together the edges to seal. season both sides of burger generously with salt* & pepper.

mix together mayo, chili paste, and 1 tsp cajun seasoning in small bowl, and set aside.

lightly oil grill or cast iron skillet and cook burgers for about 4-5 minutes per side (or to desired doneness... i'm usually a medium rare girl but we did this medium - not used to skillet cooking burgers), placing cheese on top of each patty during last 2 minutes of cooking. don't forget to toast up those buns - if you're using the cast iron skillet, just smash the buns onto the hot pan right into the burger drippings after you take off the burgers, adding butter and/or garlic to the pan first if you're feeling extra crazy.

once burgers & buns are done, top them with the mayo goodness (and lettuce/tomato if you're feeling that), and go to town. rating has to be an 8.5 *******~ here for me... i can't count how many times we've made this recipe and we love it everytime. particularly with bacon only thing that would make it better would be if i was using a prime cut of beef, but it seems a bit grandiose to use that with spicy ingredients... like having a grey goose and soda. mmmmm, goosen soda, sigh...

*note: check out The Burger Lab's article on Salting Ground Beef. those pics are burned in my mind on what not to do. i'm not too proud to admit i used to add salt to my patty mixture before i had any idea the effect it had on the fat. one of a bazillion helpful tips learned there from Kenji.