The Bundertaker Burger

* As always, you can  DOWNLOAD THE RECIPE  for the most succinct version of the instructions.

By now, you may have noticed that our recipe names have a bit of a wrestling theme — and the trouble with that is there are only so many easily recognizable puns you can make (and only so many wrestlers who are well-known enough for this to work for the general public). With that in mind, we decided to make burgers for this month’s recipe post because burgers use buns and Bundertaker was the easiest pun available to us at the time of our content meeting this month. 

In case you don’t know, The Undertaker* is a retired pro wrestler known for his macabre, funereal vibes and all-black attire. He also made a surprise appearance at last month’s Wrestlemania, showing up in the eleventh hour along with John Cena to help Cody Rhodes (finally) earn the title that his father never did (and somehow make the Rock just completely disappear). 

*Fun fact: The Undertaker, as a character, originates from Death Valley (the real guy behind the character, Mark Calaway, is from Texas) which has tremendous wildflower super blooms. 

The Dead Man’s old entrances used a ton of fake smoke (for the drama, presumably)  — and in honor of that, we’re topping this burger with a smoky, tangy pasilla-lime-tomatillo salsa. To balance out the smoke, we’ll also be topping it with pickled onions and some rich, gooey Oaxaca cheese. (If you can’t find Oaxaca cheese, mozzarella will do. Or choose whatever cheese you want!)

And to top it all off, we’re pairing the burger with an elote-inspired dipping sauce for the fried side of your choice (homemade or frozen fries, tater tots, etc.)

Bundertaker Burgers

INGREDIENTS

For the burgers —

1 lb ground beef

A dusting of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and oregano

Oaxaca cheese, shredded

4 hamburger buns of your choice

For the salsa —

1 yellow onion

5 cloves garlic

3 limes

1 lb tomatillos

6-8 pasilla chiles

For the onions —

1 red onion

½ cup water

½ cup white distilled vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

¼ cup sugar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

For the fries —

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 lime, zested and juiced

3 clove garlic

2 teaspoons of Trader Joe’s Elote Seasoning

INSTRUCTIONS

For the onions —

In a microwave safe bowl or cup, add ½ cup of water and vinegar. Microwave for 2-4 minutes (depending on your microwave’s power), until the mixture is steaming but not boiling. (NOTE: You can also do this on the stovetop in a pot. But it takes a bit longer, and requires a few more dishes, and I am lazy when it comes to dishes.)

Add the sesame oil, sugar, and salt to the warm liquid, stirring until dissolved. Allow pickling liquid to cool.

In the meantime, slice onion into very thin slices. I like to cut the onion in half and then slice into long crescent shaped slivers. Once pickling liquid is cool, add the onions.

Let sit and pickle for at least half an hour, though the flavor will improve longer you let the onions pickle.

For the salsa —

Roast the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and limes at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Broil on high at the very end for 2-3 minutes, until everything is charred. Alternatively, you can char all of these in a frying pan on your stovetop or grill if you have one.

While those are roasting, soak the pasilla chiles in warm or hot water. Those will need about twenty minutes to soften. Once soft, de-stem and deseed each, then add them to your blender.

Transfer the tomatillos, onions, garlic, and the juice of the limes to the same blender, adding ½ to 1 full cup of the water (depending on your preferred thickness) to the blender. Blend until smooth, and let rest while you assemble the rest of the burger.

For the fries —

Open up a bag of your favorite frozen french fries, and cook them according to the instructions on the bag. (You can also prepare your favorite homemade fries, if you feel so inclined!)

While your fries are cooking, chop garlic into a fine dice. Sprinkle salt on top, and smash the garlic with the flat of your knife, chop a bit more, then smash again, and so on until your garlic becomes a smooth-ish paste. Add this to a bowl with your mayonnaise. Then, add the juice and zest of two more limes. 

Add half your spice blend to the bowl and mix. Return the mixture to your fridge and let sit for at least twenty minutes.

When your fries are finished, dust the rest of your spice blend over them and toss. Transfer to a plate and serve with the elote aioli.

For the burgers —

Form your ground beef into four equal-sized patties (or eight, or twelve, or ten, or however many you want). Press a small divot into the center of your patties so they do not lose their disc shape as they cook and shrink. Season each with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano.

Pan fry or grill your burgers to your preferred doneness.  When your burger is two minutes from being done, add cheese on top of each patty and cover the burgers (or pan) to melt.

Assemble —

Transfer your burger to one of your buns (toasted, if you prefer). Top your burger with the pickled onions, the salsa, and even some of the aioli if you want.