Guacamole Hamburgers with Monterey Jack and Chiles

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
• 1 (2-ounce) piece Monterey Jack, cut into 4 pieces
• 4 teaspoons finely chopped seeded pickled jalapeno chiles

For the guacamole:

• 1 avocado (preferably Haas)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup finely diced seeded tomato
• 3 tablespoons minced scallion
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, or to taste
• 4 sesame hamburger buns or English muffins, split and toasted

Directions

Handling the chuck as little as possible, divide it into fourths, shape each fourth into a ball, and with your thumb make a depression in the center or each ball. Fill each depression with a piece of the cheese and 1 teaspoon of the chiles and form the meat around the cheese mixture into a 1-inch patty. Season the hamburgers with salt and black pepper and grill them on oiled hot grill pan for 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare meat.

Make the guacamole while the hamburgers are grilling: Halve, pit, and peel the avocado, in a bowl mash the flesh coarse with a fork, and stir in the lemon juice, tomato, scallion, cumin, cilantro, and salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer the hamburgers to the buns and top them with the guacamole.