Labor Day weekend is about rest and relaxation. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers throughout our history have made to the strength & prosperity of the country. To that end, the holiday is celebrated with parades, getting together with friends and family to eat comfort foods and taking it easy. We’ve had an active & busy summer, so we are really looking forward to slowing down for a few days over this long weekend.

There are lots of great variations on side dishes for Labor Day get-togethers, but the main focus of the meal, burgers & sausage or dogs, is pretty standard. We usually follow that outline & vary the sides, not the protein. I like getting creative with the accompaniments & Eric likes traditional grilled burgers. I was pleasantly surprised when Eric agreed to deviate (just a bit) from the routine burger and consider a stuffed pork burger for this weekend. Maybe he agreed just to see if I was really willing to eat something made with olives. I typically won’t even consider a recipe calling for olives unless I can omit them. Plus, I am not a big fan of mayonnaise. These burgers called for both those ingredients! I’m happy to say, the experiment was a success! The burgers were moist & juicy with great flavor and the prep work wasn’t time consuming. It was a good call on both our parts and this is a recipe we will be making again! It works well with the dual comfort food and relaxation themes of Labor Day celebrations.

Manchego-Stuffed Pork Burger

Manchego-Stuffed Pork Burgers (adapted from foodnetwork.com) Total time Required: 35 minutes, Prep time: 20 minutes, Cook time: 15 minutes, Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1/4 cup pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 1/4 pounds coarsely ground pork
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 pound manchego cheese, broken into bite-size pieces
• 4 rolls, split
• pimientos, tomato, red onion, and lettuce, for topping

Directions:

Preheat the grill to medium-high. Place the oil, olives, garlic, oregano, chili powder, paprika, coriander, cumin, and allspice in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is smooth.

The olives & spices should be well combined before adding them to the pork.

Scrape the olive mixture into a large bowl, then add in the mayonnaise and the pork. Mix it all together thoroughly, then season it with salt and pepper.

Combine the elements of the burgers and mix thoroughly.

Shape the mixture into 4 patties, about an inch thick. Make a deep pocket in each burger and stuff it with some of the manchego, then close the patty around the cheese.

Stuff the manchego into the center of each burger.

Brush the burgers with additional oil, then season them with salt and pepper. Brush the grill with oil. Grill the burgers until they have grill marks on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Flip them and continue grilling until just cooked through, about 5 more minutes. Grill the rolls until lightly toasted, if desired. Serve the burgers on the rolls with your choice of toppings.

A delicious variation on the traditional burger!

Enjoy some delicious food & relaxation at those Labor Day celebrations!  ~Linda

Manchego-Stuffed Pork Burgers (adapted from foodnetwork.com) Total time Required: 35 minutes, Prep time: 20 minutes, Cook time: 15 minutes, Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1/4 cup pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 1/4 pounds coarsely ground pork
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 pound manchego cheese, broken into bite-size pieces
• 4 rolls, split
• pimientos, tomato, red onion, and lettuce, for topping

Directions:

Preheat the grill to medium-high. Place the oil, olives, garlic, oregano, chili powder, paprika, coriander, cumin, and allspice in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is smooth. Scrape the olive mixture into a large bowl, then add in the mayonnaise and the pork. Mix it all together thoroughly, then season it with salt and pepper. Shape the mixture into 4 patties, about an inch thick. Make a deep pocket in each burger and stuff it with some of the manchego, then close the patty around the cheese. Brush the burgers with additional oil, then season them with salt and pepper. Brush the grill with oil. Grill the burgers until they have grill marks on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Flip them and continue grilling until just cooked through, about 5 more minutes. Grill the rolls until lightly toasted, if desired. Serve the burgers on the rolls with your choice of toppings.