TURKEY BURGERS

I saw this on the Oprah show a few years ago and just had to learn how to make them. I've adapted the recipe to be more tailored toward a typical package of turkey meat, which is about 1.25 pounds, the original recipe was for 4 pounds which made a huge amount of burgers. I've also tweaked the ingredients to add a little more flavor as well as adding Worcestershire and additional pepper. We serve these as the main protein without a bun or cheese, but you can certainly add it to make it heartier.  They are very moist and yummy. I hope you like them.

Everything you'll need to make these yummy burgers.

Peel 2 granny smith apples, small ones. Or one large one.

Quarter, remove the core and dice, not too small or they'll be mush when you saute them.

Dice 1 large stalk of celery.

Chop, even smaller than the celery, the green onion/scallion. I have to do this quickly. I even cry when I'm working with these! Onions and I seem to have issues...

Chop the parsley even smaller than the scallions. Chop, chop and chop some more! (Interesting note: I've heard that feeding parsley to dogs helps to make their breath smell fresh. I tried to give our dog Bella some, she looked at me like I must be crazy! Guess mine like their breath the way it is...)

Using a microplane, I like to zest the outside of the lemon before I juice it. I've done it the other way around before, makes a big mess. Then cut in half and juice, saving 1 Tablespoon of the juice of course.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and saute the apples, onions and celery until soft.

It should look something like this when it's done. Turn off the heat and let it cool while you combine the other ingredients.

I LOVE this magic bullet. It's super easy to use and I just throw it in the dishwasher after. Combine the chutney, lemon juice and tabasco. My family likes everything a little spicy so I add the chutney, plus a dash, the tabasco, plus a dash and a dash of worsteshire. Blend in a bullet or regular blender until smooth.

Now add the parsley and lemon zest.

Blend just long enough to blend all the ingredients together. You can add them to the turkey separately of course, I just think it's easier in the end when it's a sauce mixture. I'm all about making things as easy as possible.

Add the turkey to the mixer or just put in a large bowl. Add the apple mixture.

Add the sauce mixture or just dump in the other ingredients.

Mix just until blended together. Only takes 30 seconds or so. Or you can do this in a bowl with your hands. It's hard for me to take pictures and blend with my hands, so I opted for the mixer.

Since I used 1.25 pounds of turkey, I divide the mixture into five parts and form into patties. Make into a loose ball and squeeze between your palms to flatten.

Place the patties on a plate and refrigerate for 1-2 hours to firm them up for grilling.

Heat the grill to a good 400 degrees. Lightly brush with oil to prevent sticking. Take the burgers out of the fridge and generously salt and pepper. Place on grill. Let cook for about 7 minutes.

Gently flip over after 7 minutes. Mmmm, nice grill marks. Love that!

Remove them from the grill after 7 minutes on the other side. Allow them to rest for a few minutes before serving. Feel free to add some cheese, pepper jack maybe, a bun, condiments or anything else you'd like. We like them just as they are, but I like things with options. Enjoy!!

Turkey Burgers

Recipe adapted from Mir-A-Lago Oprah’s favorite burger

Print version 

2T scallion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup celery, finely chopped

2 granny smith apples, peeled and diced

1T olive oil

1.25 lbs ground turkey breast

1 tsp salt

1.5 tsp black pepper

1 teaspoons, plus a dash Tabasco chipotle pepper sauce

1 lemon, juiced and zested, saving only 1 T of juice.

1/4 bunch parsley, finely chopped

3T Major Grey chutney, pureed

Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the olive oil until tender. Let cool.

Puree the chutney and 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice in a blender or bullet. Add parsley and lemon zest, half the salt and pepper and blend quickly. Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into five 1/4 lb burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours to allow them to firm up.

Season the turkey burgers with remaining salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.