It’s tough to find a decent tasting turkey burger out there in the world. Most of the time you get a frozen pre-formed patty, sort of thin and gray and sorry-looking with little or no flavor.
Bleh.
And the patty is usually way smaller than the bun. I hate that. You know, you can make a really good turkey burger in the comfort of your own kitchen, with stuff you probably already have on hand.
The big flavor in this burger comes from diced shallots, a shot of dijon mustard, a pinch of red pepper flakes, garlic powder, fresh parsley, sea salt and breadcrumbs. Homemade if you have them.
And folks, it doesn’t end there.
This juicy marvel gets an extra dose of deliciousness with thick slices of melty pepper jack cheese, a kicked-up mayo, cranberry sauce, and a little handful of fresh greens spiked with olive oil and sea salt.
Most any cheese will work here. Try Gruyère, regular jack or white cheddar if you’d like. The addition of cranberry sauce (a good version is here) makes the flavor extra special.
I like to serve this burger open-faced with a knife and fork. But if you want the whole bun who am I to judge? Do it! Just grab yourself an extra napkin or two.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground turkey breast meat
- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 shallot cut into small dice
- 1 1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp. dried or 1 tbsp. fresh parsley
- 1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
- 4 hamburger buns or rolls sliced and toasted under the broiler just before serving
- 8 slices of pepper jack or gruyere cheese
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise mixed with 2 tsp. dijon mustard for serving
- Cranberry sauce for serving (recipe link in post)
- Watercress or arugula tossed with 1 tsp. of olive oil and pinch of sea salt for serving
Instructions
- Place ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, shallot, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, parsley and dried red pepper flakes in a large bowl. With clean hands, mix gently until everything is combined. Form into 4 patties.
- Heat a nonstick 9 or 10" pan on medium heat with enough olive oil to lightly cover the bottom of the pan, add the four patties (don't crowd them) and cook for 7-8 minutes per side until completely cooked through and not pink, turning once.
- Note: turkey meat should always be cooked completely or to an internal temperature of 165 by using a meat thermometer.
- Before the last couple minutes of cooking, add two slices of cheese to each patty (you can put the lid on your pan to help the cheese melt.)
- Toast the hamburger buns under the broiler, then add a tablespoon or so of the mayo/mustard mixture, top with the cheesy patty, and garnish with a tablespoon (or to taste) of cranberry sauce. Add about 1/4 cup of fresh greens on top to finish.
- My favorite cranberry sauce recipe link is included in the body of this post.
Johanna Nebeker
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