Every year around September, a local grocer gets a large shipment of Hatch chiles in and sets up a roasting cage in front of the store, fire roasting fresh preppers to order. Needless to say, I always buy a bunch. The smell of flame-charred peppers is one of the most intoxicating food aromas. As much as I try to consume locally, I make exceptions for regionally specific foods—especially if Hatch chiles are available.

Hatch chiles are a variety of peppers grown in the Hatch Valley in New Mexico, known for their intense flavor and balanced heat. They’re an ephemeral food, especially for someone living far from New Mexico, and to me their arrival means that hunting season has begun. My hunting season traditionally begins with doves, and I can’t imagine a better or simpler way to enjoy two short-season ingredients than to stuff them together and cook them over fire.

Because I can’t help myself, I usually buy more Hatch chiles than I can reasonably eat fresh, so I’ll freeze some and dry the rest, grinding them into chile powder. This recipe uses both freshly roasted peppers and dried peppers. I'm usually on the last little bit of dried peppers from last season by this time of the year, but you can of course make some fresh, substitute your favorite ground pepper, or use a homemade chili powder.

This is an eat with your hands without fear of making a mess kind of a dish. It’s perfect for early fall cookouts or post dove shoot shenanigans.