Grilling

My love for the ingredients of the American Southwest is pretty well documented at this point, making this burger something of a signature. Cool and creamy avocados and spicy tomato-chipotle salsa make this burger a tribute to that region. Blue corn chips supply the crunch factor that lettuce would normally provide, but in a far tastier, more southwestern way. This couldn’t be called “Nacho” without cheese; sliced Monterey Jack fills the bill perfectly.

Oaxaca is a state in southern Mexico with a diverse and celebrated regional cuisine. One of Oaxaca’s best-known specialties is mole, a classic Mexican sauce that combines onions, tomatoes, chiles, fried corn tortillas, and often chocolate, which adds a rich, not sweet, deep note to the sauce. Traditionally, mole is time-consuming to make and involves many separate cooking techniques. This version is just as tasty as the original but is quick and easy to prepare. Tangy crumbled queso fresco, creamy slices of avocado, and pickled red onions provide the authentically Mexican finishing touches.

This burger could turn anyone into a West Coast convert with just one bite. Northern California’s gorgeous Napa Valley is home to more than vineyards; it also produces some great local goat cheese and the Meyer lemon. Intriguingly sweet and far more mellow than the standard variety, Meyer lemons are a wonderful treat. Their season is short, however, and they can also be prohibitively expensive. But I still love that flavor and have found that I can replicate it with a mixture of fresh lemon and orange juices. The Meyer lemon–honey mustard is fresh and bright, not cloying. Its sweet note is a great counterpoint to the tangy goat cheese and crunchy, peppery watercress.

I have always loved Greek food, and a trip to Greece a few summers ago only reinforced that affection. The Greeks are doing something right with their Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil. A burger might not exactly fit into those parameters, but I can use the salty, briny, and fresh elements that they love to make this burger Greek. Flavorful kalamata olives are blended into a spread for the bun, and this combo wouldn’t be Greek without some salty feta cheese and ripe tomato. You might not be as familiar with tzatziki, but this tangy blend of thick yogurt, pungent garlic, and grated fresh cucumber is a staple in Greek cuisine and is used for practically everything, from a dip for wedges of pita bread and French fries to a topping for sandwiches.

It doesn’t get much easier or much better than this. Basting both the burgers as you cook them and the buns before you toast them with a savory garlicky butter adds a whole new dimension of flavor to a classic burger. Try adding a few tablespoons of fresh herbs or a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce to the butter for even more flavor.

Perhaps this should be called Burger Quattro Formaggi after the classic Italian pasta dish or just simply the Cheese Lover’s Burger. You can use any types of cheese you like; I just happen to like this combination of nutty Swiss, creamy American, tangy goat, and salty Parmesan. All this burger needs is a thick slice of red beefsteak tomato and a few leaves of fresh arugula, a sort of homage to the Italian flag.

There are some mornings—and they usually come after a long night—when all I can think about is a breakfast sandwich piled high with eggs, bacon, and cheese. Add a side of hash browns and I might as well be in heaven. Given my love of a good breakfast sandwich, it was only a matter of time before I decided to move that sandwich out of breakfast-only terrain and into a burger. Breakfast, lunch, dinner . . . now I can get my fix any time. I prefer my egg cooked over easy because I love how the yolk runs out and saturates the burger after the first bite, but if that’s not your thing, you should of course cook the eggs according to your preference.

Try these citrus-flavored cutlets with sweet potatoes sprinkled with nutmeg. If you double the recipe except the pineapple slices, you’ll have enough turkey for Turkey Tortilla Soup (page 54), too.