Inspired Turkey Burgers
I’m on a never-ending quest for good turkey burger recipes. There’s our “Favorite Turkey Burger” recipe that I love, but while I’ve tried things like mixing in a log of herbed goat cheese, or Mexican spices, I’m usually underwhelmed. Let’s face it. Turkey breast is very low in fat & high in protein, which is good from a dietary perspective . . . but it’s pretty flavorless. So you’ve really gotta do some work to zazzle it up.
Well friends, this recipe’s got zazzle. It’s a little more work because you’re making a relish to go on top (but lookie here, I made it really easy for you, so no whining), and yes, you have to cook the onions before you incorporate them – but you’re going to flip over these (get it? they’re burgers). There’s lots of flavor and the fact that there *is* home-made relish adds pizazz that your ordinary Tuesday Turkey Burger just ain’t got. Trust me! The family will be impressed.
Garam Masala Turkey Burgers (inspired by The Washington Post)
2 t. extra virgin olive oil 1 clove of garlic, minced 1 1/2 t. minced ginger 1 large onion, cut into a small dice 1/4 t. Kosher salt 1 t. garam masala 1/2 t. ground cumin 1/4 t. ground ginger 14 oz. chopped tomatoes (remember, Pomi has no BPA, or find one packed in a glass jar) 1 T. apple cider vinegar 1/4 c. water 1 T. brown sugar 1 lb. ground turkey breast meat 2 tablespoons plain dried bread crumbs (or GF bread crumbs)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Choose a shallow baking pan large enough to hold 4 burgers; spray with cooking spray.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and the salt and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until the onion is translucent (adjust the heat so the onion does not brown). Add the garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the garam masala, cumin and ground ginger; cook for 1-2 minutes, until the spices are fragrant.
Transfer half of the onion mixture to a medium bowl.
Add the tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, water and brown sugar to the skillet. Increase the heat to medium so the liquid in the skillet is bubbling at the edges. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened and the flavors have blended. Remove from the heat, and transfer the relish to a small bowl.
Add the chicken to the bowl containing the cooked onion mixture along with the bread crumbs. Mix the ingredients to thoroughly combine.
Working with one-quarter of the chicken mixture, form a burger-shaped patty 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Transfer the burgers to the baking pan. Bake the burgers for about 20 minutes, flipping them 1/2-way through. When they’re just about cooked through, you can switch the oven to broil and get them a little brown on top – but be careful, it happens quickly and you don’t want them to burn!
Serve each burger topped with approximately 3 tablespoons of the tomato relish.
Serves 4.
I can’t wait to try these grilled on the charcoal grill. There’ll be even more flavor!
There are lots of options for serving these – if you’re into starch, you could make some rice and serve a burger with relish atop a bed of rice. Make sure you have some good steamed veg and a salad on the side. These would also be great folded within a warm piece of naan – Trader Joe’s has a good frozen version, or many supermarkets often sell fresh naan in the bread aisle. Pita/Syrian bread would work too – and then you could add lettuce, sprouts, cucumber, bell pepper . . . a little turkey & salad party in a pocket! Or, if you’re eschewing most starch like me (right now, can’t last for long, I am a carb-lovah), you could eat this atop a big green salad drizzled with a little EVOO and vinegar. These are also great left over – pack one in your lunch as a break from the default turkey sandwich.
© 2012 – 2013, Sarah. All rights reserved.
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