Hatch Chile Grilled Cheese

Fancy grilled cheese is quickly becoming my new favorite meal. I can't get enough of the Blueberry + Brie Grilled Sandwich -- I've made it with a variety of fruits, including the 10-Minute Ground Cherry Jam I made last week. And I'm sure you guys know after yesterday's homesteading post that I've started using homemade bread for most of my recipes, too.

Delicious times a gazillion.

So, I'm a pepper lover, but I have never head of Hatch chiles until this year. There was this huge sign at Wegmans, so of course they piqued my interest. I looked them up and discovered that this uniquely tasty pepper was originally grown in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico. People have entire Pinterest boards devoted to them. I picked up a bag (great marketing, Wegmans, right?) . . . and then couldn't figure out what to do.

After asking a few friends, roasting was the universal suggestion. I set my oven to broil, put them in whole and roasted on all sides until they were slightly charred. Then I placed them in a bowl, covered with a plate (you can use plastic wrap, etc.) until they were cool enough to slice, remove seeds, and peel the skins. If you plan to do all of this, too, just wear gloves or something. Big mistake on my part -- burning on my hands all day!

After that:


This sandwich is far from being local fare. (And I didn't even make the bread -- it was leftover from a dinner out the night before.) Still, it was certainly delicious and worth the effort. I slapped on a good helping of the roasted chiles. Used some tasty Colby cheese. Sliced avocado for good measure. I think I even tossed in a couple of Stephen's Homemade Pickles after that.

Oh: You can easily make this same type of sandwich using roasted red peppers, etc.

Anyway, I placed the rest of my roasted Hatch chiles in an airtight container and used them in soups, Veggie-Loaded Quesadillas, hummus, etc. Mine were gone pretty quickly, but I've heard they freeze well. Here are some specific instructions for freezing them whole and otherwise.

Have you tried Hatch chiles? What's your favorite recipe?

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