Holiday Turkey Burgers
Foreword
This is the burger for those uninterested in committing to a whole holiday turkey, and for those who want to stretch the joy of Thanksgiving across the whole month. It’s honestly just fun to bring the roasted turkey flavors to a burger. Here we appreciate the lighter flavor of the turkey instead of asking it to pretend to be something it’s not - celebrate our differences!
Ingredients
- 450g (~1 lbs) ground turkey (93% lean)
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp sage
- 6 drops liquid smoke
- 1 egg
- 10g (~2 Tbsp) panko
- 4 hamburger buns (see “Basic Bread” recipe)
- 2 apples
Directions
- Mix the ground meat, spices, panko, and egg together gently.
- Form the meat into 4 patties ~¾ inch thick, also gently.
- Warm a nonstick pan on medium heat. When hot, spray with a thin layer of cooking oil.
- Cook the patties until the internal temperature reaches 165°F, ~8 minutes, flipping half way through.
- Take the patties off the heat and allow to rest 5 minutes (yes, even though you are hungry and it smells delicious!)
- Cut the apples into thin strips ~¼ inch wide, or into matchsticks (preferably using a mandoline).
- Slice the hamburger buns through the middle and lightly toast.
- Assemble the hamburgers with the apple on top of the meat and enjoy.
Notes
Ida likes hers with coarse ground mustard, but Chris thinks this undermines the commitment to holiday flavor.
Resting the meat is important because it allows all the juices to reabsorb into the tissue of the meat.
If you don’t like handling raw meat, try using a nitrile glove.