I am a huge Turkey Burger fan. When I'm feeling especially lazy and particularly hungry, I'll often walk up the hill to Cheesecake Factory and order a bun-less Turkey Burger with salad instead of fries. It's a weakness. It's my go-to snow day treat (because somehow they're open when everything else is closed). It's warm and savory and comforting. CB first introduced me to the dish and I've pretty-much eaten it with everyone I know at some point or other. My history with that burger runs deep.
But you know I don't really love eating out.
Sure I love good service and new and interesting foods. And I love grabbing a few cocktails and spending social time with friends (new and old). But I also feel a lot of the time that I could make just as good of a meal, or better, for a much lower cost, in the comfort of my cave.
With that in mind, I set out to tackle the Turkey Burger.
But I couldn't just make any old Turkey Burger. It had to be a better Turkey Burger. No matter what, it was going to cost less if I made it myself. And take about the same cook time as I normally spend waiting around in the Cheesecake Factory bar. And I would be able to avoid vegetable oil and the load of sugar (I'm positive) they put into their salad dressing to make me crave it all the time... All amazing benefits. But the taste! The comfort! The history! I had to best all of that to make making it myself worth my while (a girl's got to have her priorities).
Even after I devised the recipe, prepped my mise, and opened a cider, I was bracing myself for disappointment. Don't get me wrong. I know I'm a good cook (please see previous 103 blog posts for proof of my self-confidence). But I didn't know if I could recreate (or especially best) something that I loved so much. On the first try.
But then I did.
I've made this recipe a few times now (and most notably haven't been back to the Cheescake Factory since its invention). I even solicited a second opinion and was assured that this Turkey Burger recipe is one for the books (or the blog, as the case may be...). Please enjoy. And. You're welcome.
Turkey Burger
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| If you really want to get fancy, stir some garlic and parsley into a tablespoon of homemade paleo mayo. And don't forget to dress your salad in my French Dressing. |
Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
1 egg
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup diced white mushroom
2 strips thick-cut bacon, cubed
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tablespoon Herbs from Provence
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
Instructions
Place a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add cubed bacon and cook until some of the fat starts to render. Add diced onion and mushroom, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until onion becomes translucent and mushroom as released most of its water. Add garlic. Continue cooking until everything becomes brown. Add Herbs from Provence. Stir to evenly combine. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place ground turkey in a medium bowl and combine with egg. Once the sautéed veggies are cool enough to touch, add them to the turkey and combine (I used my hands. It's easier). Roll and pat turkey mixture into evenly sized patties.
Place a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot add olive oil, and place turkey patties into the pan* (careful not to crowd them, you probably will need to make them in batches or use two pans). Cook thoroughly. About 4 minutes on each side. Makes 5 patties.**
*Note: This recipe probably isn't the best for the grill. The ground turkey is pretty viscous and probably would stick to the grill grates and turn into a disaster. I don't know what would happen if you tried ground turkey breast (I prefer the higher fat).
**Note: I wouldn't dream of telling you how many servings that should be. These were so amazing I wouldn't be surprised if a knife fight broke out in the kitchen over the last one (so don't say I didn't warn you!).
