At the moment, Hatch chile peppers are to the culinary world what skinny jeans are to the fashion world.
They’re hot!
Hatch Chiles are a prized New Mexican chile and are available in August and 
September.
These favorite Southwestern chiles are grown in the Mesilla Valley, just north of Las Cruces, where the sunlight is intense and and the nights are cool. This climate combination results in a chile that has a wonderful earthy flavor, with a subtle sweetness and kick to it. To be honest they’re not actually very hot — they’re generally more a mild-medium heat pepper, which makes them incredibly versatile in the kitchen.
I was so thrilled when Melissa’s World Variety Produce sent me a box of these delicious Hatch Chiles. (Thank you!) They’re so gorgeous, I could have just put them all in a pretty bowl as a centerpiece on my table — but since we’re smack in the middle of their short season, I’m going to be cooking and celebrating them all week.
And I’m definitely adding this to my list of weekend recipes as it’s a fantastic brunch dish — and you know how I love brunch! This recipe takes a bit of time to prepare, and it’s well worth it! 
Not only are the results unbelievably tasty, but making this dish is a really fun cooking project.
I spent Saturday afternoon making these and we had them for dinner with friends.
Brunch for dinner = perfect. 
Melissa’s will be roasting the famous Hatch Chile at selected Bristol Farms stores throughout Southern California and Fry’s in Arizona. There are still opportunities to be a part of this!
Don’t miss out on the taste of the season!
And if you live in New Mexico, or might happen to be there over Labor Day Weekend, you might want to attend the Hatch Chile Festival.
- 8 Hatch chile peppers roasted and peeled -- here's how
- 6 strips applewood smoked bacon
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced brown onion
- 1-1/4 cup grated pepper jack cheese
- 8 eggs
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
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Roast and peel the peppers -- here's how to roast Hatch chiles. Set aside.
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and place a paper towel on a large plate and set it aside.
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In a large oven proof skillet (one that will ultimately fit 8 opened Hatch chiles quite snugly), cook the bacon over medium heat until it's crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the bacon from the pan and place it on the paper towel-covered plate to let the grease drain.
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Pour off about half of the bacon grease (I pour it into a foil lined, small bowl), and keep the rest in the pan.
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Add the onions to the pan, and over medium-high heat, cook until they are nicely browned, about 4 minutes. Put the browned onions in a small bowl, keeping any remaining bacon grease in the pan. Set aside.
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Carefully, using a small paring knife or your fingers, make a slit in each of the peppers to open them, keeping the stem intact and the pepper whole, gently remove all of the seeds. Place the peppers, open side up in the pan.
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Sprinkle each pepper with a thin layer of the cheese (you'll need about half of it remaining for the tops).
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Break the bacon into smaller pieces and add a layer to each pepper, on top of the cheese.
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Evenly distribute the onion on the bacon.
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Crack an egg into each pepper, directly on top of the onion and bacon. You might need to gently hold the edges of the peppers up, to capture the whites as they run out of the shell -- it's fine if some runs out into the pan. (This is why the peppers should be a rather tight fit int he pan.)
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Sprinkle each one with salt and pepper and evenly distribute the remaining cheese on top, on the sides of the yolks.
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Place the pan in the 375 degree F preheated oven just until the eggs are cooked, about 15 minutes.
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Let them cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and serve!
Among other stores, you can get Hatch chiles right now at Gelson's Market, Whole Foods and Bristol Farms. And of course you can order them here at Melissa's Produce.
This is not a sponsored post.
Hatch chile peppers are to the culinary world what skinny jeans are to the fashion world.
Valentina, you could be famous for this statement even if you weren’t such a great cook
and photographer! Can’t wait to find Melissa at a Fry’s market! Is there a way of finding
out which ones for us in Arizona?
Linda — you’re the best! Here’s the Phoenix schedule: 9/14, 9/15 & 9/16 at Fry’s in Phoenix, AZ!
Great analogy 🙂 We love Brinner – and Hatch Chiles with bacon topped with a runny egg sounds divine!
Thanks Priscilla! 😀
Although I live in New Jersey, I’ve been to Hatch a few times and brought home both roasted and non-roasted Hatch Chiles. I first discovered the Hatch Chiles in Albuquerque when I had a bowl of stewed Chiles. The dish was fantastic. The flavor was so good. I asked and was told that that they were from Hatch, a town I had never heard about. Yesterday, I visited my local Wegman’s and “Lo and Behold”, there were Chiles being roasted and samples of real Hatch Chiles. My omelet using chopped Chile was heavenly. Bless you Melisa and Wegman’s.
Hi there, I’m so happy to hear that you were stumbled upon Hatch chiles at your local store — and just in time, as their season is coming to a close. And how excellent that your omelet was so delicious. Enjoy and thank you for sharing. ~Valentina