Gobbler

Summer has been reluctant this year, so when the sun does shine, I scramble up to the roof deck for a much-needed dose of vitamin D. The building I live in has outfitted the deck with some patio furniture and grills, and though I mocked the electric grills (the look like open-faced toaster ovens), I succumbed the other day and made turkey burgers for dinner.

GRILLED TURKEY BURGERS with SCALLION GUACAMOLE
Serves 4

Smoked paprika imparts a smoky barbecue flavor on otherwise bland turkey meat.  Serve burgers with tortilla chips, hot sauce (such as Valentina brand), and sour cream or mayo.

For the Burgers
1 pound ground turkey
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ small onion, chopped (about ½ cup)
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
4 hamburger buns

- Combine ground turkey, salt, and pepper in medium bowl.

- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add smoked paprika and cook until the onions are evenly coated and the paprika is fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the onion mixture to a bowl and allow it to cool slightly.

- Add onion mixture to the ground turkey and mix just until combined.  Divide turkey mixture equally into 4 portions and shape into ¾”- to 1”-thick patties.  Make a shallow divot or indenation in the center of each patty.

- Heat grill to medium-high. Cook burgers until nicely charred on each side and cooked through (temperature should register 160˚F on an instant-read thermometer), 4 to 5 minutes per side.

- Brush buns with remaining tablespoon oil and grill until warmed through and marks appear, about 2 minutes. Transfer to plates and top with burgers.

For the Scallion Guacamole
Remove the ribs and seeds from the jalapeño if you are sensitive to heat. Pickled jalapeños and a tablespoon or 2 of the pickling brine are a nice substitution (or addition) here.

3 ripe avocados
¼ small onion, finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
1 cup cilantro, chopped
6 scallions, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper

- Split avocados, remove pits, and spoon flesh out into a medium bowl. Add following 6 ingredients and mash coarsely with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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Tags: Guacamole, Turkey Burger

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 2nd, 2009 at 4:37 pm and is filed under Easy-to-Make, Lunch & Dinner, Oink + Moo + Cluck. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.