Grillin’ Time

The weather was beautiful earlier this week, and though you can’t count on sunshine every day, the temperature is definitely rising—which means it’s turning into grilling season.

Just over a year ago, I started playing around with turkey burger recipes. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good burger, but turkey is a nice alternative to beef. It is a good source of protein and iron, while being low in fat. Turkey on its own can get too dense and dry out easily, however. I found if I add smashed beans and egg to ground turkey, it lightens it up. You could also incorporate 1/4 cup grated parmesan into the burger if you wanted.

In the photo above, I served the burgers on Essential Bakery buns and garnished them with a slice of Beecher’s Flagship cheese and a little arugula walnut pesto.  I served them with fresh watercress from the garden as well as spinach, avocado and blueberry salad on the side.

Turkey Burgers
Allow about 30 minutes prep time
Makes 10 ¼-pound burgers
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans (no salt added)
1.5 pounds ground turkey (a 50/50 mix of breast- and thigh meat makes for a moist burger)
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon Cajun spice (or any other spice you prefer—thyme, oregano and paprika would be nice additions too.)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Drain and rinse the canned beans. Pour beans into a bowl and, using either a pastry knife or a potato masher, smash them into a chunky purée (as shown at right).

Add the turkey, spices and eggs to the bean purée and blend until combined. Mixture will be loose and sticky.

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Portion the turkey mixture into ¼-pound mounds on the lined baking sheet (a 4-ounce scoop works best for this). Then wet your hands and form each mound into a patty, rewetting as necessary to prevent the mixture from sticking to your palms (probably every third patty). Finished patties should be about ¾ inch thick.

Grill over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes on one side and 2 minutes on the other. Be careful not to overcook.

Tina’s Tip: I grilled four patties and froze the remaining six for later use. This makes for a great last-minute dinner sometime in the next couple months.