November Game Day Food Feature...Featuring Texas Frito Pie Burger #gamedayfood #burger #fritopie #bigflavor #betweenthebuns

This month's football game day food feature is a big-flavor, Texas-size burger! My Texas Frito Pie Burger was inspired by the menu at local favorite Hopdoddy Burger Bar. During a visit a while back, I saw a similar burger on their menu. I didn’t order it then, and I've been kicking myself ever since. So...I decided to create a fusion Frito pie-topped burger that's ideal for game day noshing! These are definitely three-napkin burgers, but they’re really simple to make and bursting with the big flavors we love. Wait until you see all the goodness going on here! Each meaty third-pound burger is topped with chili, corn chips, shredded cheese, and chopped onion. It’s definitely a bit over-the-top...but in a totally good way! These burgers are piled high with ingredients, making them very dude-friendly. 

Texas Frito Pie Burger

Inspired by Hopdoddy Burger Bar

Ingredients (makes 3 substantial burgers):

• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 3 hamburger buns
• 15-ounce can chili (NO beans)
• 1.5 cups corn chips
• 1.5 cups finely shredded Colby-Jack cheese
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

For the burgers:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup mustard mixed with 1/4 cup of chili from the can
• 4-ounce can diced mild green chiles 
• ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 tbs. finely chopped parsley
• 1.5 tsp. sea salt + a few grinds fresh black pepper

Directions:

Step 1: Mix the yellow mustard with 1/4 cup of the chili from the can to make a sauce. Add the ground meat, 1 tbs. of the mustard-chili sauce, green chiles, red onion, parsley, and salt & pepper. Using pristinely clean hands, combine the ingredients until everything is evenly combined. Shape the mixture into three patties of equal size. 

Step 2: Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over med-high for 5 minutes. When the skillet is hot, add the burger patties. Cook for 4 minutes per side – flipping once – until they are cooked medium. Add one minute per side for medium-well burgers.

Step 3: While the burgers cook, toast the hamburger buns. Heat the rest of the chili in the microwave until hot -- approximately 2 minutes. To assemble the burgers, spread each bottom bun with 1 tbs. of the remaining mustard-chili sauce. Next, add a cooked burger patty to each bun. Top each patty with 2-3 tbs. of the cooked chili. Then add 1/2 cup of corn chips on top of the chili. Finally, add shredded cheese and chopped onion. Add the top bun and serve.

These burgers are off-the-hook good! They’re just spicy enough to be interesting...and the crunchy corn chips are a nice textural contrast. After two bites, I personally found it easier to ditch the top bun and eat the burger open-faced with a fork. It’s pretty substantial…in both size and flavor. It’s basically a total meal in and of itself. If you’re a Frito pie fan, you’re going to go crazy for these burgers. I hope that you'll give it a try soon…any fan would LOVE to see this on the menu during the big game!!