The Kitchen Tourists' Best Tex-Mex Burger!

Ingredients

Guacamole Dressing

• 1 avocado
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 3 teaspoons fresh lime juice (or 2 tsps fresh lemon juice)
• 1 dash hot sauce (not too much, more heat will come with the minced chipotle)
• salt
• 1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile in adobo
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro, to taste

Burgers

• 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 4 slices monterey jack cheese or cheddar cheese
• 4 whole wheat hamburger buns, we like them toasted on the grill (if you can get bakery, seeded rolls, so much the better)

To garnish

• pickled jalapeno peppers, rings (store bought or Pickled Jalapeno Rings)
• 4 buttery-crisp lettuce leaves

Directions

1. 1

   Halve, pit and peel avocado.

2. 2

   Mash ¼ of avocado with a fork; add mayonnaise, lemon juice, hot sauce and salt to taste; mash with back of fork until smooth.

3. 3

   Stir in tomato, chipotle, scallion, cilantro, and remaining avocado, cut into ¼ inch cubes and fold together gently but thoroughly. Cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

4. 4

   Mix chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt into beef. Handling beef as little as possible, divide it into quarters; shape each quarter into a patty.

5. 5

   Heat a well-seasoned, ridged, cast-iron pan over moderately-high heat (or grill on bbq) until hot and cook the hamburgers 5 ½ minutes per side for rare.

6. 6

   Top with cheese slices and cook, covered, for 1 minute, to melt cheese.

7. 7

   Transfer to a plate and let stand, tented loosely with foil, for 3 minutes, to finish cooking.

8. 8

   Transfer to hamburger buns; top with guacamole dressing, sliced, pickled jalapeno rings (to taste) and lettuce.