Eat Drink and Blog

What makes a turkey burger badass?

Turkey burgers can be dry. There are lots of ways to prevent this, many involving a lot of ingredients and work. This recipe solves the problem by adding copious amounts of brie. Pretty badass, right? Wait till you hear what you DO with the brie. Oh, it’s on. I’m sure the brie negates whatever reduction in fat you might normally get from using turkey instead of beef, but that’s not what this recipe is about, and it’s damn good, so whatever. I got this recipe from somewhere, but honestly can’t remember where. If you’ve seen it before please let me know in the comments and I’ll gladly give credit and link to the original.

What you’ll need

I’m not sure of all the portions, but I’ll do my best. This is for two large or three smallish burgers. Adjust as needed.

• 1 package ground turkey (about 1.25 lbs)
• 3 Granny Smith apples (really 2-4 apples, depending on size)
• 1 wedge St. Andre cheese (OK, I know I said brie. But St. Andre is very similar and isn’t as melty, which makes it hold up a little better. Brie will totally work, but will be runnier.)
• Watercress or other greens (optional, we ditched this part long ago, but it does add freshness and crunch. Not to mention fiber.)
• Large ciabbata rolls (or whatever you like your fancy burgers on. Straight up buns would work, I guess, but don’t really fit with the high-brow nature of these burgers. We actually gave up on buns too in our carb-cutting frenzy. These stand up just fine with a knife and fork, but if you’re gonna do buns I recommend Trader Joe’s ciabatta rolls, slightly toasted.)

What you gotta do

These are best on the grill, but can also be done indoors in a pan (for the burgers) and in the broiler (for the apples).

Divide the turkey into four equal patties (or however many, but an even number). They should be kinda thin and not too small, and they need to be all the same size. I usually salt and pepper the patties. You can also salt and pepper the meat and mix before making patties. If you wanted to get really crazy, add some chopped garlic to the meat. I never do this, because I’m lazy, but it would be good.

Slice off some medium sized of cheese. (Like how precise I am with the amounts?) The hunks need to be smaller around than the patties. Why? Here’s where it gets good. Take the cheese and put it on half of the patties. (Only half? Please be patient.) Now take the other two patties and put them on top of the cheese. (What? Did he say ON TOP of the cheese? That’s right.) Seal the turkey around the edges so the cheese is hidden inside. You should now have two meaty cheesy Uncrustables. Set these aside.

Now for the apples. Slice them kinda thin. Not floppy thin, but thin. Arrange them on a cookie sheet and brush them lightly with olive oil.

Now you have a decision to make. Are you heading outside or staying in the kitchen? These are definitely better on the grill, but I’ve done them indoors many times and they’re good that way, too. Let’s assume you’re grilling. Get your grill hot. You probably should have done this while you were prepping all the food, especially if you’re cooking with coals. But what, am I supposed to tell you everything? Take some responsibility. Once the grill is hot, spray it with a bit of oil to reduce the stick factor and put on your burgers. Leave room for the apples. Close the grill and wait about 12 minutes. Exactly how long to cook the burgers you have to play a bit by ear. Depending how hot your grill is, it’s about 10 to 15 minutes per side. This is turkey, so you want it cooked. Leave the lid closed except to flip the burgers and add the apples. They’ll cook faster and more evenly. Only flip them once. This is a good rule of thumb for any burger, but definitely true with these. You don’t want to break them and let all the cheese drip out – until they’re in your mouth. How to know when they’re done? Guilty confession: I almost always end up cutting into one of them to check for doneness, because I am not a grilling Jedi. If you do this, try not to cut into the inner sanctum of cheese. Then take the one you cut for yourself, if you’re a good person, or give it to the guest you like the least, if you’re not.

When you open the grill to flip the burgers (after about 12 minutes) put on the apples. You left room, right? The apples are gonna cook faster than the burgers – about 3 minutes per side. Shorter will make them yummy and juicy, longer will make them a little bit crispy. Both are good, depends what you want. If you’re doing buns, put them on the grill somewhere in here, depending how toasty you like them. If you don’t have space on the grill, put them in the toaster oven. If you don’t have a toaster oven, you’re missing out on one of the great conveniences of the late 20th century. Get one. Now’s also a good time to rinse your watercress if you’re gonna use it.

Take your apples off the grill and set them aside. Check your burgers for doneness (and if you have a trick for this that doesn’t involve making an incision, please share in the comments). Once they’re done, build your burgers: bun, watercress, cheese-infused-meat, apples, bun. You could swap the position of the greens and the apples – follow your bliss here.

I usually serve these with a crisp white wine, a nice Sauvignon Blanc or even an unoaked Chardonnay. A light red will also do nicely, Pinot Noir is a favorite.

If these burgers are not amazing and badass, you probably did something wrong. That could be because you got sick of reading and stopped halfway through because I wouldn’t shut the hell up, so I’ll take partial responsibility. Enjoy.

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Related posts:

1. Grilled Italian Turkey Cutlets

Tags: Badass, Burger, Cheese, Grill, Turkey

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