Peppered Grilled Turkey Burgers Recipe
An Easy Recipe for Broiled or Grilled Burgers of Ground Turkey
Jul 21, 2009
Lean ground turkey has become a popular choice for people seeking healthy burger recipes. Look for it prepackaged and ready to use in supermarkets everywhere to make fabulous healthy hamburgers with ease.
Turkey burgers offer cooks two key challenges, however. The meat can sometimes verge on blandness. And, being lean, it can also be a bit dry, particularly since turkey burgers should be cooked thoroughly rather than to juicier rare or medium-rare like beef burgers can.
The following easy turkey burger recipe offers solutions to both those concerns.
Making Turkey Burgers Moist and Flavorful
Counteracting blandness, the recipe quickly and easily flavors store-bought ground turkey with touches of onion and dried sage, seasonings that, though familiar from Thanksgiving turkeys, are also delicious and welcome year round. Then, after the burger patties are formed, it spices up the burgers with coarsely ground black pepper, a terrific complement to their flavor.
As for the moisture issue, two solutions easily address that issue, too. The hamburger buns are first generously spread with a mixture of store-bought mayonnaise and Dijon mustard, which add both moisture and flavor. (Those concerned with fat or calories can certainly use reduced-fat mayonnaise.) Then, each burger is topped with a generous portion of jellied cranberry sauce straight from the can, which not only provides the perfect classic tart-sweet complement to turkey’s flavor but also makes every bite of the burger mouth-wateringly luscious.
Peppered Turkey Burgers with Cranberry Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- 1 medium-sized onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
- Salt
- Whole black peppercorns
- 1 (1-pound) can jellied cranberry sauce
- 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 4 hamburger buns
Directions:
- Preheat the grill or broiler.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the turkey, onion, and sage until thoroughly combined. With clean hands, form the mixture into 4 equal patties slightly larger than the diameters of the buns. Season the patties on both sides with salt.
- Put the peppercorns in a pepper grinder and adjust the grinder to its coarsest setting. Grind the pepper generously to taste over both sides of the burgers, then gently pat the pepper into the surfaces.
- Cook the turkey burgers on the grill or under the broiler until no longer pink in the center, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
- Meanwhile, open both ends of the cranberry sauce can and carefully use the lid of one end to push the sauce out of the can in a single cylinder. With a knife, cut 4 circular slices of sauce, each about 1/2 inch thick, reserving the remaining sauce for another use.
- While the burgers are still grilling, in a small bowl stir together the mayonnaise and mustard. Spread the cut surfaces of each bun half with the mixture.
- When the burgers are done, use a spatula to transfer them to the bottom halves of the buns. Top each burger with a slice of cranberry sauce. Place the remaining bun halves on top and serve immediately.
The results taste delicious at any time of year, and the recipe also works well with chicken burgers or lamb burgers. (For another great recipe for ground turkey, check out Hearty Ground Turkey Chili. Got a real talent for cooking that needs to be expressed? Learn how to write recipes for a cookbook!) Enjoy!
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