There’s nothing like the aroma of a burger cooked over the searing heat of a grill. Whether cooking at home or strolling a street festival, the smell conjures hunger like no other summer food.
Indulgent? Yes, especially when eaten on bread and accompanied by rich toppings and a pile of fries. To alleviate some guilt (we’re trying to pare down for our son’s fall wedding), we’re opting to satisfy cravings with flavor-packed turkey burgers enjoyed without buns. Think of this option like a slab of great meatloaf with the flavors of the grill. We’ll serve them with sliced ripe tomatoes, farmers market salad greens, and a few oven-roasted potatoes.
Ground turkey contains less saturated fat than ground beef and has fewer calories, even if you opt for ground turkey with some added thigh meat rather than straight turkey breast. The lack of fat means the burgers can be dry; adding an egg yolk, a small amount of cheese, and some flavorful ingredients helps keep the burgers moist.
I look for organic ground turkey that is 93 percent lean and 7 percent fat for the best flavor. One and a half pounds of turkey, with add-ins, makes four nicely sized burgers. I add a little bit of panko crumbs to hold the shape while grilling. Gluten-free crumbs work just fine.
Cook the burgers directly over the heat of the grill. To prevent sticking, make sure the grill grates are hot. Then spray the burgers with vegetable oil and set them on the heated grill grates oiled-side down. Cover the grill and resist the temptation to flip the burgers before the first side is nicely seared. Spray the burgers again before you flip to cook the second side. If the cooking is going too quickly, cook the second side of the burgers away from the direct heat. Never press down on the burgers with a spatula while they cook; that causes juices to release. To check for doneness, gently press the center of the burger with your fingertip; it should feel nearly firm.
FYI, both of the burger recipes that follow taste great when made with ground beef or bison. Reduce cooking time by 2 or 3 minutes for medium-rare beef burgers. The center of beef or bison burgers will feel slightly soft when pressed with a fingertip.
Turkey Burgers With Smoked Gouda and Green Onions
Serves 4- 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
- 1 egg yolk
- 2/3 cup shredded smoked gouda cheese, 2 ounces
- 1/3 cup panko crumbs or coarse bread crumbs
- 4 small green onions, trimmed, thinly sliced, 1/4 cup
- 2 to 4 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon ground sweet or smoked paprika, or a combination
- 1/4 teaspoon each: salt, freshly ground black pepper
- Nonstick olive oil or vegetable spray
- Sliced ripe tomatoes
- Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish
- Dijon mustard
- 4 burger buns, optional
- Lettuce leaves
Use wet hands to shape mixture into four 4-inch burgers, each about 1/2-inch thick. Place on parchment- or silicone-lined baking sheet. Or use wax paper to wrap burgers individually. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes or up to a couple of hours.
Preheat a gas grill to medium-hot or prepare a charcoal grill and let coals burn until covered with gray ash. Turn off burners on one side of the gas grill or arrange coals at sides of charcoal grill. The idea is to have two areas for cooking; one directly over the heat and the other away from the heat. Heat the grill grate before adding the food.
Spray burgers with oil. Put burgers, oiled side down, directly over heat. Cover grill and cook, without turning for 7 minutes. Spray with oil, then carefully flip. Cook until nearly firm in the center, about 5 minutes more. Move the burgers to the cooler portion of the grill if they are getting too brown. Remove burgers from grill to a tray.
Turkey Burgers With Black Beans, Sun-Dried Tomato, and Feta
Serves 4- 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup drained, rinsed, canned black beans, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/3 cup panko crumbs or coarse dry bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley or a combination
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Sliced ripe tomatoes
- Chunky tomato salsa, optional
- 4 burger buns, optional
- Mayonnaise, optional
- Lettuce leaves
Use wet hands to shape mixture into four 4-inch burgers each about 1/2-inch thick. Place on a parchment- or silicone-lined baking sheet. Or use wax paper to wrap burgers individually. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes or up to a couple of hours.
Preheat a gas grill to medium-hot or prepare a charcoal grill and let coals burn until covered with gray ash. Turn off burners on one side of the gas grill or arrange coals at sides of charcoal grill. The idea is to have two areas for cooking; one directly over the heat and the other away from the heat. Heat the grill grate before adding the food.
Spray burgers with oil. Put burgers, oiled side down, directly over heat. Cover grill and cook, without turning for 7 minutes. Spray with oil, then carefully flip. Cook until nearly firm in the center, about 5 minutes more. Move the burgers to the cooler portion of the grill if they are getting too brown. Remove burgers from the grill to a tray.
Serve burgers over sliced tomatoes topped with a spoonful of salsa. Or, if serving burgers on buns, toast the buns while burgers cook on one edge of the grill. Spread cut sides of buns with mayonnaise. Serve burgers on buns with lettuce and tomato.
