Turkey Burgers

Late last week I was trying to figure out what to make with the ground turkey in our fridge.  I had everything on hand for a burger so I decided on a burger night for dinner.  The burgers went well with our at home movie night....the 6th episode of the Star Wars movies.  I hadn't seen any of them and my husband was determined to get me through all six movies so I could go with him to the new one.

Now, fun fact about me, I do not eat red meat or pork.  My husband is from the Midwest so you know he grew up on meat and potatoes!  He's tried my turkey burgers before but his heart belongs to beef burgers.  This time I was determined to season the ground turkey in just the right way to get his honest seal of approval.  I believe my mission was accomplished!

Secret ingredient that made it come together?  Worcestershire sauce!  Anyone else think that's one of the hardest words to say?

I topped my burger with caramelized onions, swiss and cheddar cheese, ketchup, mustard and some dill pickle slices for good measure.  Let me just say, these burgers were big, juicy and delicious!  Even my beef eating husband agreed and enjoyed eating TWO burgers.

Ingredients:

• EVOO
• 1 pound ground turkey (for this I used a 85% lean mix)
• S&P
• 1 T. garlic powder
• 1 T. onion powder
• 3 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 T. paprika
• Cheese (any kind you like)
• Onions - optional
• Whatever other burger toppings you like
• Burger buns (again, whatever kind you like or have on hand)

Instructions:

• Heat large pan over medium high heat.  Add enough EVOO to the pan to just coat the bottom.
• Mix ground turkey with seasonings.  
• TIP: Once turkey is mixed with seasonings, I break off a quarter size and make a tiny burger and cook it to test my seasonings.  It takes less than 5 minutes and allows you to adjust your burger mixture before cooking all the patties.
• Adjust seasonings as needed.
• Form into 4 burger patties and set in pan.  Don't crowd the pan though!  I did mine in batches of two.  You should hear a nice sizzle here (a good sign your pan is the right temperature).
• Let cook about 5-7 minutes on one side before flipping.
• Meanwhile, heat another pan over medium-low heat with a tablespoon of EVOO. 
• Slice an onion into thin slices and caramelize over medium-low heat until golden brown.  Season onion slices with S&P.
• Flip burgers and let cook another 5 minutes or so on the other side.  You need to cook turkey burgers all the way through.  There is no medium rare when you're cooking poultry.  That stuff has got to be cooked to the right temp!  You're looking for 165 degrees.
• Add slices of cheese to the tops of your burgers, cover with foil to melt.
• Serve your burgers up with whatever toppings and sides you choose.

I have cans of green beans leftover from Thanksgiving.  (Gotta love that green bean casserole!)  There is no shame here in canned veggies people.  They're picked at the peak of their freshness and canned.  I buy the low sodium or no salt added kind and add my own seasonings.  I always do canned green beans very simply with a little butter, salt and pepper...done!  Now you have some green on your plate next to that big ol' burger.

Grab a napkin, things are about to get messy....enjoy!