Happy Taco Tuesday, everyone! A few months ago, I came up with a taco alternative that satisfied my inner burger cravings. I have seen (even at some Tex-Mex restaurants) taco meat lumped on a bun resembling nothing more than a sloppy joe but called a taco burger.
But what if you kept the burger in patty form and simply seasoned the meat (mixing in taco seasoning) before cooking the patty? Topped with cheese and put in the oven for a few minutes for the cheese to melt and stopped with some toppings (shredded lettuce, tomato slices–or pico de gallo, and guacamole), maybe even a special sauce (equal portions of sour cream and salsa mixed together), and you have the following: (You may commence drooling now!)
You have a burger (minus the shredded lettuce–for some reason that freaked him out and the pico because of the onion) that Muffin adored. A taco hedonist’s paradise.
Yes. It really was that delicious.
And he wanted the extra burger (but we were out of the sour cream-salsa sauce and the guac…which he tends to pronounce Whack-a-Mole), but without two of his favorite toppings, he vetoed it.
That is why this burger is being made again, two weeks after it was made the last time, for Taco Tuesday.
Here’s what I did:
The Real Taco Burger
Source: My Twisted Mind
1 pound ground beef (This is the time for 80/20)
1 pkt taco seasoning (I use reduced sodium)
prepared guacamole (or homemade…you will need close to 1 cup)
1/4-1/2 cup sour cream
1/4-1/2 cup salsa (not restaurant style–you want chunks)
shredded lettuce
4 sharp cheddar cheese slices
3/4 cup pico de gallo (or four hefty tomato slices and 4 onion slices)
4 hamburger buns (I didn’t do this last time but would recommend because of the goopiness of the substances on the insides–toast them.)
Combine the taco seasoning with the ground beef, making sure it is thoroughly integrated. Shape into four equal patties. (At this point, I would chill/freeze the patties so they hold up better in the pan. I didn’t do this last time but will be doing so again.)
Combine equal parts sour cream and salsa and set aside. Preheat oven to 285 degrees.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Place patties in the skillet. Cook until “DONE” on one side, then flip and repeat. Place them on a baking pan (preferably one lined with aluminum foil for easy clean up) and top each with a cheese slice. Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted on top of each patty.
Once patties are ready (redolent of taco-style spices and chili), slather the inside of each bottom half of the buns with the salsa-sour cream mixture. Sprinkle shredded lettuce atop that. Nestle the patties on the bed of shredded lettuce. Top with tomato and onion slides or a mounded amount of pico de gallo. Mound 1/4 cup of guacamole on the top bun and top the burger.
Consume with chips and salsa.
What is your favorite taco alternative for Taco Tuesday (with mandatory viewing of The Lego Movie)?