Chile Pepita Idaho® Potato Veggie Burgers

Ingredients:

• 4 cups medium Idaho® potato chunks, peel before cutting into chunks
• 3 cups water, for cooking
• 3 whole (4-inch long) dried guajillo or New Mexican chile peppers, stem and seeds removed
• 1½ cups cooked black beans, drained well (or 1 15-oz can, rinsed and drained)
• ¾ cup pumpkin seeds or pepitas, toasted and chopped but not puréed
• ½ cup nutritional yeast
• ¼ cup ground flaxseed
• 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano or marjoram
• 2 teaspoons ground ancho chile powder or another mild chile
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground chipotle powder, use more to make these spicy

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Add the potato chunks, water, and chilies to a pot and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to medium-low and cook until the potatoes can just be pierced by a fork.
3. Drain the potato chile mixture in a colander set over a bowl. Remove the chilies and place them in a small food processor with ¼ cup of the cooking water. Purée as much as you can, although it’s fine to have pieces left.
   NOTE: Make sure all the excess liquid is drained from the beans and potatoes. If there’s too much moisture you may need more flaxseed to tighten the mixture up later.
4. Combine the black beans and cooked potatoes in a large mixing bowl with the chile puree. Mash with a potato masher until almost smooth. It’s fine to have bits and pieces of the chile.
5. Mix in the chopped pepitas (pumpkin seeds), nutritional yeast, ground flaxseed, Mexican oregano or marjoram, ground ancho chile powder, salt, ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and ground chipotle powder.
6. Measure ½ cup of the mixture to form a patty that is ½-inch thick. Tip: Use a ½-cup large cookie scoop to help keep them more uniform.
7. Prepare 2 large sheet pans with parchment or spray with oil so the patties don’t stick.
8. Bake for 25 minutes, flip the burgers and bake for 25 more minutes.

Notes:

You can heat on a grill, in the oven, or in a pan on the stove.

Bonus: freeze the patties to have on hand whenever a burger craving strikes.