Hatch Green Chile Spackle

While on a Holy Grail/Barbecue Quest, Adam Perry Lang found himself in the town of Hatch, New Mexico, where he thus discovered this recipe, which is not sauce, not side dish, he calls it a spackle.  We have adapted this from his Charred & Scruffed cookbook which is well worth picking up if you are a grill aficionado or aspire to become one, but he seems a bit lost when it comes to the green chile processing, which is down home to us here in the Southwest, so we can skip several of his steps.

• Peel the roasted chiles by scraping off the skin with the back of a knife and remove the cores and seeds. Cut into 1/2-inch dice—you should have about 3 cups

• Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook just until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion, garlic salt, and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the onion is just golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the diced chiles and sugar, stir to combine, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the white wine vinegar and cook until it has evaporated and the pan is dry. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

• Using an immersion blender, blitz the mixture for 3 seconds, or just until coarsely pureed; the spackle should still be chunky. Or transfer to a regular blender and pulse to a coarse puree.

• Spread the mixture in an even 1/2-inch-thick layer on a parchment-lined dehydrator tray (or trays) and dry in a dehydrator at 105°F for 3 hours, or until the consistency of tomato paste. Alternatively, spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet, put in a convection oven set at the lowest setting, prop the door ajar with the handle of a wooden spoon, and dry for 3 hours, or until the spackle is the consistency of tomato paste.

• Using a rubber spatula, scrape the spackle into a bowl or other container. Stir in the cilantro and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. The spackle can be used right away, but for the best flavor, refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for at least a day, or up to 4 days, before using.