Jalapeno Cheddar Bacon Cheeseburgers

A couple days ago, while buying some meat at Taylor's in Sierra Madre, I noticed jalapeno cheddar burgers. I was told they were great, that all they needed was some salt and pepper and a few minutes on the grill. Always up for a new kind of burger, I bought a couple. I also bought a few slices of thick Amish bacon.

Last night I grilled up the patties. I used my DeLonghi indoor grill so I could watch the Orlando-Cleveland game. After I flipped the patties on the grill I added a few slices of Drunken Goat (a semi-firm Spanish cheese that has been soaked in wine for 72 hours, one of my favorite cheeses in the world) and let them melt.

I did not go crazy with the condiments. Normally when I make a burger I like a few drops of A.1. sauce, or, my newest addiction, Leah & Perrins "Thick" Worcestershire sauce. But with the flavors already in the patty and the thick bacon, the burger didn't need any more overpowering flavors. I put some lettuce on the bun, a couple pickles, and a thin smear of mayonnaise.

I loved the burger. It had just the right amount of spice, which went well with the smoothness of the Drunken Goat. In the middle of eating it I had an urge for a great beer. Not a quickly- downed bottle of Pacifico, but something I could savor with this burger. Perhaps a pint of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale or Deschuttes Black Butte Porter. But I looked in the fridge and all we had was Red Stripe, with a bottle of Sapporo standing in the midst of them. Disappointed, I just drank water with the burger. From now on I will have a couple bottles of something stronger tucked away in the fridge for meals like this.

For dessert we had one of the best things on Earth: freshly made cotton candy I had purchased a couple hours earlier at the South Pas farmers market.