The Perfect Turkey Burger

I was super excited to see that the June 2011 Food Network Magazine featured burgers in their “Pick a Patty” feature. Last year our big 4th of July party featured the first annual chili cook-off, well – this years it’s going to be a burger contest. My brother is already making space near his grill to display his 1st place medal, ha! –  I know it’s a little early to talk strategy and I’d be crazy to include my award winning burger recipe here on the blog for other guests/contestants to see… but I did find that this turkey burger could easily have scored a medal. No joke, this turkey burger was phenomenal.

The Ingredients:
1 Large Portobello Mushroom Cap
1 Tablespoon Coarsely Chopped Shallot
3 Tablespoons Lightly Packed Fresh Parsley
1 1/4 lbs. 85%-93% Lean Ground Turkey
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil – plus more for brushing the grill
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Sharp White Cheddar Cheese – the recipe suggested Manchego or White Cheddar (I only had sharp)
4 English Muffins – split
Dijon Mustard
Mayonnaise
Wholly Guacamole – the recipe suggested avocado, I thought I had one, but I didn’t.

Directions:
Use a spoon to scrape out the gills from the underside of the mushroom cap.

Cut the cap into 1-inch pieces and transfer to a food processor. Add the shallot and parsley and pulse until chopped.

I used my blender attachment because I didn’t feel like breaking out my Cuisinart. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a large bowl and add the turkey, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste.

Gently mix with your hands until just combined. The photo above is just of the mushroom mixture. I forgot to snap a photo of what the mix looked like when I added the meat.

Divide the meat mixture into 4 balls, then lightly press into 4-inch wide, 1-inch thick patties. Put patties on a large plate, cover and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. I actually put mine in the freezer for about 15 minutes. I was losing my light for evening photos. 🙂

Preheat your grill to medium. Brush the grates with olive oil. Grill the patties, undisturbed, until marked on the bottom, 4-5 minutes. Mine took 5 minutes. Give the patties a quarter turn and cook until marked again – another 4-5 minutes.

Flip the patties and grill until cooked through, 6-7 more minutes. Top each burger with cheese during the last 3 minutes of cooking and cover with a disposable aluminum pan to melt. I skipped that part because I didn’t have one.

After the 3 minutes, my cheese melted and was oozing down the sides. The burgers looked perfect!

Toast the English muffins on the grill. I brushed mine with a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil.

I combined my mustard and mayo and then spread it on the bottom English muffin piece and placed the burger on top of that. I spread my Wholly Guacamole on top of the burger and then placed the English muffin top piece on my finished burger.

Some spicy Hawaiian BBQ Chips and the meal was complete.

The mushroom was definitely the key ingredient – it added moisture and flavor to the lean turkey. I will be making these throughout the Summer for sure.

It’s “Burger Month” and many local Sacramento restaurants are featuring custom burger creations – I proved tonight that you can whip something up in your own kitchen to celebrate. That doesn’t mean I won’t go sample some of the restaurant creations… after all, there is a 4th of July contest title on the line.

Bring it!