Our Favorite Epicurious 2019 Labor Day Recipes

Our Favorite Epicurious 2019 Labor Day Recipes

Labor Day is about food, fun and family. While you’re taking a much-deserved break from the daily grind of work, there’s nothing better than a great meal or two to punctuate a relaxing Labor Day weekend.

As usual, we’re leaning heavily on the expertise of Epicurious, one of the web’s pre-eminent food and recipe sites, to fill our Labor Day table. The recent release of Epicurious’ article “49 Low-Fuss Labor Day Recipes” provides a great deal of inspiration!

Check out Epicurious' 2019 Labor Day Recipes
Check out Epicurious’ 2019 Labor Day Recipes!

Even the most avid “foodie” isn’t going to eat 49 meals on Labor Day weekend – even though you may feel as though you did eat that much by Monday night! We’ve read up on all 49 of Epicurious’ Labor Day recipe selections, and narrowed the list down to a few options we think deserve to be on your lunch or dinner table during the long weekend.

Let’s look at 5 of our favorite selections from this year’s Epicurious Labor Day “food playlist” and we’ll tell you why they deserve the attention of your taste buds!

The Best Epicurious 2019 Labor Day Recipes

1. Smash Burger Alfresco

This double-stack take on classic Labor Day fare is the perfect place to begin our list. Two grilled 3-oz. patties start this fulfilling burger, and a special sauce punctuated with adobo and finely chopped pickles adds a jazzy punch that separates this burger from the standard.

2. Honeydew Salad with Ginger Dressing and Peanuts

One of the most surprising and appetizing entries on Epicurious’ Labor Day recipe list, this honeydew salad is full of contrast and unexpected flavors. What begins as a cold, fresh melon salad quickly becomes captivating with the heat of serrano pepper, spice of ginger and intriguing flavor of Persian cucumbers. What begins as a monochromatic all-green salad bowl ends up being a flavorful, fulfilling salad that kept us coming back for more.

3. Grilled Whole Eggplant with Harissa Vinaigrette

While this dish is listed as an appetizer, you may find yourself eating the whole thing and turning this delicious eggplant into an entree. The direction to grill the eggplant directly on the dying coals of your grill is audacious and guaranteed a smoky, charred flavor. This recipe’s harissa vinaigrette is one of the simplest we’ve made in awhile, and is quite delicious.

4. Grilled Whole Cauliflower with Miso Mayo

The grilled veggie trend continues with this spicy cauliflower recipe. Basting the cauliflower with spicy butter gives it a unique orange color, and serving it over a tangy miso mayo adds an extra satisfying punch. This is another dish that can serve as an appetizer or a main course. Like the eggplant offering above, it’s a filling enough offering to satisfy any vegetarian guests at your dinner table.

5. Strawberry-Rose Agua Fresca

Looking for the perfect drink to cap off your Labor Day meal? This refreshing berry-filled beverage reaches new heights with the unexpected flavors of rose water and agave nectar. Epicurious lists the rose water as optional; we’ve tried it both ways and think that it makes all the difference. You can spike this drink and make it a cocktail, but the non-alcoholic version provided is pretty perfect as is.

To read the entire Epicurious “49 Low-Fuss Labor Day Recipes” article, click here.

Best Memorial Day 2015 Recipe: Epicurious Beef and Andouille Burgers with Asiago Cheese

Best Memorial Day 2015 Recipe: Epicurious Beef and Andouille Burgers with Asiago Cheese

The Best 2015 Memorial Day Burger Recipe. Period.

Since Peter Salerno and the team at Peter Salerno Inc. are all about the extraordinary and providing the very best in award-winning kitchen design, we’re always on the look out for the best recipes for every occasion. So with Memorial Day 2015 right around the corner, we had to find our choice for the best new, unique burger recipe online.

Memorial Day burger recipe. Beef and andouille sausage burger with asiago cheese recipe. Photo by Mark Thomas, courtesy of Epicurious.
Beef and andouille sausage burger with asiago cheese recipe. Photo by Mark Thomas, courtesy of Epicurious.

Leave it to Epicurious to once again provide us with the most delicious burger recipe for Memorial Day 2015. Nothing says Memorial Day weekend like a barbecue cookout or BBQ grill experience with family and friends, enjoying the beautiful weather with a cool drink and a burger. But which unique, delicious burger recipe fits the bill?

We found this outstanding recipe on Epicurious for a Beef and Andouille Burger with Asiago Cheese. Sometimes, a meal is so good you’re not left with many words to describe it. These smoky, mildly spicy burgers left us with very few words – most of them were simply “Wow!”.

The mix of smoky grilled onions and spicy Andouille sausage (built right into the burger patty) was outstanding, and the added tastes of roasted red peppers and shallots takes these beefy burgers over the top. It’s no wonder this recipe has a 98% approval rating on Epicurious and a perfect 4 out of 4 review.

But believe us – you need to try these beef and andouille burgers for yourself to truly understand their unique, delicious appeal. This recipe yields 6 servings, enough for you and your family and friends to enjoy. (Next time, we’re doubling the recipe!)

Thanks to Epicurious for the recipe and Mark Thomas for the original photo.

Favorite Memorial Day 2015 Recipe: Beef & Andouille Sausage Burger with Asiago Cheese

yields 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
  • 8 ounces andouille sausages,* cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 1/2 pounds ground beef (15% fat)
  • 2 large shallots, minced
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
  • 6 large sesame-seed hamburger buns
  • 6 1/3-inch-thick slices red onion
  • Olive oil
  • 1 cup coarsely grated Asiago cheese**
  • 1 7- to 7 1/2-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained

Preparation

Finely chop sun-dried tomatoes in processor. Blend in mayonnaise and mustard. Transfer to small bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

Finely chop andouille sausages in processor. Transfer to large bowl. Add beef, shallots, salt, pepper, and crushed fennel seeds. Stir with fork just until blended. Form mixture into six 1-inch-thick patties.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill hamburger buns until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer to platter. Brush onion slices with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until golden, about 7 minutes per side. Grill hamburgers to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Sprinkle cheese over top of burgers.

Spread cut sides of hamburger buns with sun-dried-tomato mayonnaise. Top bottom halves of buns with hamburgers, then red peppers. Top with onion slices. Cover with top halves of buns and serve.

*Smoked pork-and-beef sausages, sold at specialty foods stores and supermarkets. Kielbasa can be substituted.