Easy Recipe: Quesadilla Burger with Sweet Corn Salsa
Thursday, May 22, 2014
In preparation for Memorial Day, I've had burgers on my mind. What kind of burger haven't I tried making before? And what burger can I make without hamburger buns (so annoying for small parties, don't you agree? What do you do with the leftover buns)? I had recently picked up a bag of tortillas and everything clicked -- why, quesadilla burgers, of course!
I'm pretty sure I've been lured in by Applebee's quesadilla burger (maybe even more than once?), but seeing as I can't even say I have with confidence, I'm willing to bet that it wasn't that great. After perusing the internet for an easy yet promising recipe, I ended up adapting a Food Network recipe.
Quesadilla Burger and Sweet Corn Salsa
Yields: 4 burgers
Total Time: About an hour
Ingredients for the Burgers
1 pound of ground beef, preferably 80% lean/20% fat
2 tablespoons of cilantro, chopped
1/2 an onion, grated
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of adobo sauce, or hot sauce (I used my all-time favorite, Cholula)
1/2 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
Cooking oil
Flour tortillas
Ingredients for the Salsa
1 ear of corn
1/2 a red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
A dash of hot sauce
A couple squeezes of lemon juice
Salt
Ground pepper
Cooking oil
Instructions
Mix together all the burger ingredients (the beef, 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro, the grated onion, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce/hot sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper), just enough to combine. Shape into 4 burger patties and cover.
Heat a pan over medium-low heat, and add a tablespoon of cooking oil. Grilled the ear of corn on each side until grill marks appear. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
In a small bowl, mix together the rest of the salsa ingredients (1/2 a chopped red onion, 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, dash of hot sauce, lemon juice, a pinch each of salt and ground pepper ... I also added a handful of cherry tomatoes.) Cut the corn off the cob and mix into the rest of the salsa ingredients. Set aside.
Warm tortillas (either 1 or 2 per burger, depending on whether you'd like a "sandwich"-style burger or a "taco"-style burger) in a pan or warmer of choice. Set aside and grill the patties for about 5 minutes on each side, or until the juices run clear.
Remove from pan and set atop the tortillas. Add toppings of choice (cheese, guacamole/avocado, tomatoes, etc) and corn salsa and serve.
I absolutely loved the flavor of the burger. The cumin really gave it a nice earthy yet grilled flavor, and the cilantro gave it extra dimension. The corn salsa was the real treat, adding a sweetness to the burger. You can definitely substitute chicken or turkey for beef, of course. I started out making a taco-shaped burger, but then decided to cut it in half just before serving, for ease of eating. Highly recommended and I plan on making these again!
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