It seems to me that ground turkey gained popularity sometime during the 1980’s.  People were turning away from red meat and they were looking for something that was healthier.  I didn’t jump on the turkey wagon right away. 

But, as time passed, I kept trying new things and ground turkey was something I finally got around to.  If you want reduce the amount of fat in your diet, get ground turkey breast.  Most ground turkey in supermarkets combine the light and dark parts of the turkey, which might have as much or more fat content than very lean beef. 

Aw, who cares…

Control your portions, get some exercise and get a good night’s sleep and stop worrying so much.

One of the things I dislike about some recipes that call for ground turkey is that they attempt to mimic the texture and flavor of beef.  That seems dishonest to me.  I don’t want to be fooled by food.  I want something straightforward and honest. 

I remember when my kids were little and they were going through their chicken nugget phase.  Once, when I was picking up a bag of chicken nuggets at the store, I saw some chicken nuggets that were dinosaur shaped.  Really…?  Who were they trying to fool?  Oh…kids, that’s right.  Well kids, guess what?  You’re not really eating miniature dinosaurs.  You’re eating a glob of crunchy processed chicken.

Alright, enough of that!  Let’s make some honest turkey burgers. 

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey

1 egg

1/4 cup bread crumbs

2 Tbs mayonnaise

1 Tbs garlic powder

2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbs chopped basil

1 Tbs kosher salt

1 Tbs ground black pepper

1 Tbs cooking oil

4 Hamburger buns (I used brioche buns)

(Burger toppings…lettuce, tomato, pickles, etc.)

Ingredients for sauce:

2 Tbs mayonnaise

1 Tbs Dijon mustard

½ tsp hot sauce

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Directions:

Mix the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together turkey, egg, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and basil, and season with salt and pepper.  Form the mixture into four balls.  Don’t be alarmed to find that the mixture is a bit “wet”.  This isn’t beef.  Don’t worry.  Slightly moisten your hands under tap water as you form the patties.  This will keep the patties from sticking to your hands. 

Heat a skillet to medium heat and add the cooking oil.  Add the patties to the pan.  I actually added the round balls of meat to the pan and pressed them flat with my hand.  That made it easier to form the patties.  Cook for about 2 minutes and then flip the burgers.  Sprinkle a little salt on the burgers and cook for another two minutes and turn one last time.  

Let the burgers cook for another minute, or so, until they are golden and cooked through.  Remove to a plate and keep warm.

Smear a thin amount of sauce on the top bun.  Place a burger on the bottom bun and apply a generous portion of the sauce to the burger.  Add your favorite burger fixings to the burger.

Serve with chips or fries.