Author Notes
The first time I had an olive burger was at The Keyhole Bar in Mackinaw City years and years ago on the way to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It was basically a patty of ground beef with a green olive and mayo topping and the bar calls it the Passion Burger. We both loved it and through the years have made versions of it often since we don't get "up north" much anymore. A little research found that this type of burger is particularly popular in Western Michigan. My favorite version is this one with a combination of olives and a burger that is made with beef and pork. —inpatskitchen
Ingredients
- For the olive topping
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1 cup
small pimiento stuffed green olives
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1/2 cup
small Kalamata olives, pitted
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3/4 cup
small ripe California olives, pitted
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1 cup
homemade or great quality commercial mayo
- For the burgers and putting it all together
-
1 pound
ground chuck
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1/2 pound
ground pork
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The half cup of chopped olives
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1 teaspoon
black pepper (coarse grind)
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The olive-mayo sauce
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4
slices Swiss or Provolone cheese
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Lettuce leaves
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4
of your favorite burger buns
Directions
- For the olive topping
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Chop the olives coarsely by hand or place them in a mini food processor and pulse them until coarsely chopped.
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Reserve 1/2 cup of the olives and mix the rest with the mayo. Refrigerate the olive mayo mixture until ready to serve.
- For the burgers and putting it all together
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Combine the ground chuck, ground pork, the half cup of chopped olives and the black pepper. Shape into 4 patties and place on a pre heated grill over medium /high heat. Grill until cooked through. During the last minute or two of cooking, place a slice of cheese over each patty to melt a little. (alternatively there is no reason why you can't cook these on a griddle or frying pan...just melt a bit of butter and/or oil in the pan first)
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Slather some of the olive topping on each side of the cut buns. Place a burger and a little lettuce over and cover with the top bun.
I think I get my love for food and cooking from my mom, who was an amazing cook. She would start baking and freezing a month before Christmas in order to host our huge open house on Christmas afternoon. I watched and I learned...to this day I try not to procrastinate when it comes to entertaining.
My cooking style is pretty much all over the place, although I'm definitely partial to Greek and Italian cuisine. Oh yes, throw a little Cajun in there too!
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