The Kitchen Tourists' Best Tex-Mex Burger!

Sizzling with flavour! This Tex-Mex Burger has a lot of taste appeal and the visual isn't half-bad, either. Your mouth will explode with the flavours of spicy-hot Tex-Mex cuisine, tempered with a guacamole dressing. Members of the Kitchen Tourists suggested ingredients suitable for this delectable treat and so: Ed&Theresa - avocado; Muffin Goddess - lime; MA HIKER - hot sauce; fluffernutter - chipotle in adobo; Melody Ashcraft - tomato; Mandy from Oz - scallions; Laffer - cilantro; ms.susan - chili powder; TansGram - monterey jack cheese; and I provided the pickled jalapeno rings as per Pickled Jalapeno Rings. I'm sure you'll agree that these ingredients all came together sublimely to make the best burger ever. I would also like to thank Rita L, without whom this burger would just not have been possible. If Rita hadn't sent me a tin of chipotle in adobo last Fall, and if I hadn't frozen what I hadn't used then, this burger would just not have been possible! THANK YOU RITA!!! (this recipe is based on one I have already posted but seriously adapted)

• Ready In: 27 mins
• Serves: 4

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 4  slices 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 pepper, rings (store bought or Pickled Jalapeno Rings)
• 4  buttery-crisp lettuce leaves

Directions

1. Halve, pit and peel avocado.
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. 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. 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. 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. Top with cheese slices and cook, covered, for 1 minute, to melt cheese.
7. Transfer to a plate and let stand, tented loosely with foil, for 3 minutes, to finish cooking.
8. Transfer to hamburger buns; top with guacamole dressing, sliced, pickled jalapeno rings (to taste) and lettuce.