Abducted by Burgers in Roswell, NM | Big D’s Downtown Dive

When things get a little rough, we fall back on food. We set our sights on a good, cheap meal, and the internet always seems to provide. Driving across New Mexico, getting screwed by the campgrounds and pretty bored by the roads and the miles between us and Durango (our ultimate goal) and failing to see any UFOs, IFOs (identified, natch), or even a frisbee in the sky, we needed to eat. Lisa found a place online, Big D’s Downtown Dive in Roswell, New Mexico. It promised a good burger. Online reviewers warned us to not be daunted by the outside appearance.

Unlike the forbidding and spare outside, the inside of Big D’s is clean and welcoming (perhaps an awning would help). There’s free water and iced tea. You order off to the left. Things are cooked in the middle room. The main dining room is to the right. They bring your order out when it’s ready — listen for your name.

Since leaving New Mexico the last time, I’ve been excited to try the state’s signature burger, the green chile cheeseburger. I had my first at Big D’s. It was amazing. To recreate it at home, get one of those tiny cans of green chilies from the grocery store. Cook your burger so that both sides are done. When you’d normally add the cheese to melt at the last minute, top the burger with a layer of drained chilies and a slice of American cheese. Let the cheese melt and glue the chilies to the burger and then throw it on a bun. It’s going to be good.