I absolutely love turkey, but ground turkey is a little difficult to work with. It’s sticky, you can’t over mix it, and it’s extremely lean. Therefore, it can easily be rendered rubbery and tough. Thus far, I’ve braised turkey meatballs to keep them moist and tender, slowly stewed it with tomatoes for spaghetti sauce, and this time I’d thought I’d give burgers a go.

With this recipe, I experimented with caramelized onions and mustard and we really enjoyed the results. The turkey burgers were definitely juicy with a nice subtle sweetness from the onions and a healthy horseradish finish from the Dijon. The patties didn’t turn out perfectly uniformed, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be making these tasty burgers again. And since we were skipping the buns, I decided to add a few bread crumbs and parmesan to the green beans and those turned out addictively delicious as well. These burgers can easily stand on their own however, or could be paired with any side dish you prefer.

Turkey Burgers 

Ingredients: 

1lb pkg of good quality Ground Turkey

1 Red Candy Onion, diced

1/4 cup water

3 tsp Oil of choice, divided

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

Salt and Pepper

Method:

Over med flame, heat the oil in a cast iron skillet add in the onions and saute until translucent about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper the onions. Turn the flame down to low and continue cooking the onions about 5 minutes more. Add in a couple tbsp of water and allow the onions to cook down until all the water is absorbed. Repeat this a couple of times until the onions are completely caramelized. Turn off the heat and set the onions aside to cool.

In a mixing bowl, add the ground turkey, the cooled onions, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Mix until just combined. Heat a cast iron skillet over med flame, add in the 1 tsp of oil and heat until it starts to shimmer. Measure out a bite size about of the turkey mixture, shape, and sear in the skillet until cooked through. Allow to slightly cool, taste the turkey burger, and then adjust seasonings as needed.

Preheat oven to the Keep Warm setting. Reheat the cast iron skillet over med low flame, add in about 2 tbsp of oil and heat until shimmering. Shape the turkey into either 6 med sized patties or 4 lrg patties. Sear the turkey burgers about 4 to 5 minutes per side and then transfer to the oven. Leave in the oven about 15 minutes or until a thermometer reads 165 degrees. Serve the turkey burgers with lettuce, tomato, and pickles.

Crunchy Green Beans

Ingredients: 

about 2 cups Fresh Green Beans, trimmed

1/4 cup fresh toasted Bread Crumbs

1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan

1 tbsp fresh Lemon Juice

1/4 tsp Red Pepper flakes

1 fresh Egg

1 tsp Water

1/4 cup All Purpose Flour

1 tbsp Oil of choice

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method: 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a sheet pan with the oil and set aside. Place the breadcrumbs and Parm in a casserole dish stir to combine. Add the flour to another dish with a pinch of salt and pepper. To a third casserole dish add the egg. Whisk the water with the egg and add pinch of salt and pepper and continue to whisk until thoroughly combined. In small batches coat the green beans in the flour, then the egg, and finally the breadcrumb mixture. Place on the baking sheet and continue until all the green beans are coated. Bake in the oven until crispy about 20 to 30 minutes. Finish with the fresh lemon juice and salt, if desired. Serve immediately.