Turkey Burgers

I know, I know... Turkey burgers tend to get a bad rep.

But it's only because most of the time they're dry and flavorless.

Enter my sister, Erin.

She introduced my family to the wonderful world of juicy, flavorful turkey burgers. And I'm ready to reveal some of our secrets.

These burgers are super easy to make, healthy, and will ruin all other turkey burgers for you. :)

So let's begin.

*Quick disclaimer: This is not the exact recipe my sister taught me. In fact, I switch it up almost every time I make these. The key to delicious ground turkey lies in the following secrets I'm going to share. Be creative! The point of a burger is to create it the way you like it.

**Also: This post is kind of long so if you know all you want to about how to make a good turkey burger, or if you're feeling like "I don't care why I make a garlic oil, just give me the recipe, dang it!", the recipe is at the bottom.

I didn't get a shot of all of my ingredients, but for these turkey burgers I used:
- 1 20 oz. package of Jennie-O super lean turkey (99% fat free)
- About 4 Tbsp. olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 4-6 oz. Feta cheese
- 2 Tbsp. Montreal steak seasoning
- Kosher salt
- Sandwich thins
- The usual burger condiments and toppings

Secret #1: Add fat. This is the most important secret! Whether it's olive oil or butter or bacon fat (which would be awesome but defeats the purpose of a healthier burger), ground turkey doesn't have a lot of fat so you need to add some to create moisture and flavor.

We often add chopped sauteed garlic to our ground turkey, but tonight I instead created a garlic oil. The bonus here is that I wasn't tasting garlic the rest of the night. So if you don't care what your breath smells like the rest of the night, go ahead and chop up the garlic and cook it in the pan for a minute.

If you want to infuse the oil with garlicky goodness and avoid the aftermath, put the garlic cloves in the cold oil then let it all heat up together. Remove the cloves once they're a pretty golden brown. Add the oil to the ground turkey.

Secret #2: Add lots of flavor! I highly recommend adding lemon to all things, but it was so yummy in these burgers. Just a touch of freshness. I only added the zest of one lemon to the turkey (about 1 teaspoon or so) but next time I'd double it. But I like lemon. You can judge based on your own lemon preference.

Secret #2.1: McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning. Life changer. About 2 tablespoons into the ground turkey.

Secret #2.2: Add cheese to the ground turkey. We're partial to Feta, but bleu cheese crumbles are also divine. Note: It's best to use a cheese that doesn't melt so easily, that way it holds its shape in the burger while it cooks.

Mix all of that goodness up with a fork. If it isn't coming together or still looks a little dry, add a little more oil.

Create your patties. I hope you notice that mine are not perfect or necessarily uniform sizes. I usually make a little baby one for my Baby Girl. Make sure they're thin and pretty big because they shrink a lot while cooking.

And, Bobby Flay style, poke a little well in the middle of the burger because the middle tends to rise more while cooking.

Right before you put them on the grill (or griddle, in my case) give 'em a good sprinkling of kosher salt.

I cook mine at medium-high heat. Sprinkle the other side with salt since they're right there in front of you.

Note: There is a lot of oil in this meat, so it will spit a little. Keep little ones away.

Here's where a grill would come in handy... Just pretend that my burgers are really pretty with grill marks. Depending on the heat you cook them and the size, these burgers usually take about 5-7 minutes to cook completely through. Just make sure they are completely done!

In the meantime, fix your toppings. We're a Roma tomato and butter-leaf lettuce kind of family.

I recommend using sandwich thins for these burgers because the bread won't compete with the yummy deliciousness of the turkey. But if you prefer hamburger buns (we've even used plain bread) then, by all means, do what you want! Just remember the star is the turkey.

In the last couple minutes of cooking, sprinkle some more cheese on top (this might be where we lose a couple healthy, low-cal points).

Top it off with your favorite fixins'. I like a little mayo and a lot of Dijon mustard. But the turkey is the best part! It is so juicy and flavorful! The lemon adds a nice little burst of freshness with each little salty kick from the Feta. Make them soon for a guilt-free (or less guilty) burger!

Here's the recipe...

Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

- 1 20 oz. package ground turkey (99% fat free)

- About 4 Tbsp. olive oil

- 4 garlic cloves

- 1 tsp. lemon zest

- 4-6 oz. Feta cheese

- 2 Tbsp. Montreal steak seasoning

- Kosher salt

- Sandwich thins

- The usual burger condiments and toppings

Place olive oil and garlic cloves in a cold pan. Turn on heat to medium-low. Once garlic is toasted and aromatic, remove and throw away. Turn off heat.

Place ground turkey in a bowl. Add garlic oil, lemon zest, steak seasoning, and cheese. Mix together with a fork and form 4-5 patties. Sprinkle with kosher salt and cook at medium-high heat until the turkey is cooked through and juices run clear.

Place on sandwich thins and desired condiments. Enjoy!