Aspen Times Suggests Smashed Cheeseburger Tacos for Late Summer

Aspen —Let’s be real. Sometimes the only thing I want to eat is something cheesy, greasy, carby, and junky.

That’s the honest truth from Katherine Roberts, writing in the Aspen Times, and it hits a nerve for anyone currently stuck in that weird culinary limbo of late August. We’re past the peak of the farmers market, where the tomatoes were so sweet they practically dissolved on your tongue, but we haven’t quite committed to the heavy, slow-braised stews that define the coming winter. We are in the middle zone. And in this zone, my taste buds — yours, probably — are craving decadence that doesn’t require a three-hour commitment.

Roberts describes her first attempt at a "cheeseburger taco," a dish that sounds like a chaotic marriage of two American staples. If you’re like me, you likely have the raw materials sitting in your freezer right now: tortillas, blocks of cheese, and packs of ground beef. It’s the kind of meal you can throw together with what you have on hand, maybe adding a garnish of the last of the late-summer tomatoes to make the dish sing.

She found the recipe on the Heartbeet Kitchen website, though she admits to taking "lazy liberties" in her own kitchen. But the result was a "crispy, crunchy, fun food dinner," and she’s already ready to try it again.

The method is deceptively simple, relying on high heat and a bit of brute force. You season a pound of lean ground beef, divide it into six balls, and chill them while your flat-top grill or pan gets screaming hot. Then comes the part that requires confidence: place a ball on the grill, set a tortilla on top, and smash down very firmly. You’re pressing the meat until it’s as thin as possible, directly onto the bread. This creates a sear that’s impossible to achieve with a traditional patty.

You cook for a minute, press again to release fat for the edges, and let it sit undisturbed for two to three minutes. Use a stiff steel spatula to check the underside, it needs to be browned and crispy. If it’s not, turn up the heat; the grill should be smoking hot. Flip the whole assembly so the tortilla side cooks, allowing it to crisp up against the metal. Top with muenster or provolone, which will melt into the warm meat and crunchy shell.

The sauce is where the flavor really lands. It’s a creamy, tangy mix of mayonnaise, mustard, paprika, onion and garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, and the key ingredient: minced bread and butter pickles plus a splash of pickle brine. Whisk it all together, refrigerate it, and spoon it generously over the hot tacos. Finish with shredded lettuce, chopped white onion, and dill pickle chips.

It’s not fine dining. It’s not even particularly healthy. But there’s a warmth to it, a comfort that comes from the simplicity of the ingredients and the satisfaction of that first, crispy bite. You can feel it in the way the flavors layer - the savory beef, the sharp cheese, the cool, acidic sauce, the crunch of the tortilla. It’s the kind of food that makes you close your eyes for a second, just to savor the moment before you take another bite. And when the plate is empty, all that’s left is the faint, savory smell lingering in the air, a promise that you’ll make it again soon.