Slammin' Stuffed Southwest Burgers #RSC

Ready, Set, Cook! Hidden Valley Contest Entry. I LOVE to cook and always look for creative and flavorful ways to feed my family. My oldest daughter is an extremely picky eater and my little one has a ton of allergies, so cooking can be interesting! The nice thing about my cooking is that it is easy and substitutions can be made to accomodate my quirky family! These are a milder Southwestern inspired burger with a lemony guac to go on top! One tip I can offer in preparation is to wet your hands if picking up the burgers to seal the edges, as they can get a might bit sticky. If you wet them between each burger, your hands will fair a bit better and the burger should slide right off!

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 6 patties

Ingredients

• Burgers

• 1 1⁄2-2  lbs ground pork
• 1  egg, slightly beaten
• 1⁄2 cup  breadcrumbs
• 1⁄2 cup spinach, coarsely chopped
• 4  tablespoons  Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Dressing and Seasoning Mix
• 2  tablespoons shallots, chopped fine
• 2  teaspoons  buffalo  hot sauce

• Stuffing

• 1⁄2 cup  sourdough bread, day old, diced small
• 1⁄2 apple, peeled and diced small
• 1⁄2 tablespoon butter
• 1⁄4 cup  vegetable stock
• 1  tablespoon sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1  tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
• 1⁄4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper

• Guac

• 1  avocado, coarsely mashed
• 1⁄2 tablespoon  Greek yogurt
• 1  teaspoon lemon juice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄8 teaspoon black pepper
•  salt

Directions

1. Stuffing: Literally add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl, except the butter and veg stock. Mix well. Pinch off small bits of butter and drop into the mix. Add the vegetable stock and mix thoroughly. Set aside at room temp so that the liquid is absorbed.
2. Guac: Mash the avocado, leaving small chunks. Add the remaining ingredients and mix, be careful not to over mix. Set aside at room temperature.
3. Burgers: Again, add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix well.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Seperate the burger mix into 12 equal balls, and place on a long piece of waxed paper leaving 6" on all sides. Place another long piece of waxed paper on top. Using the palm of your hand, press the balls into 1/2" thick patties. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper.
6. Place one heaping tablespoon of the stuffing mixture in the centre of 6 patties and press down slightly. Take care not to come too close to the edges as we will be placing another patty on top and sealing the edges.
7. Place the remaining 6 patties on top of the stuffed patties. Press the edges firmly to create a seal. You may have to pick them up individually in order to make sure all egdes are sealed properly.
8. In a large frying pan, heat the oil on medium high. Add the patties carefully and sear each side until golden brown, about 4 mins per side. Remove from pan and place directly onto the prepared baking sheet (sprayed with cooking spray or caoted with cooking oil). Place in the over and bake for 15-20 minutes,until the center is no longer pink.
9. To serve, place a patty into each of the 6 cut rolls. Eat as is or garnish with sweet onion, sliced dill pickles, sliced tomato or lettuce, or all of the above! And most of all, enjoy!