If there is one thing that ruins a burger for me it's when it is too overcomplicated. There is nothing worse than ordering burger at a restaurant and you can't even take a bite because of the tower or ridiculousness that is set before you. Today we are going to walk you through how to make one of the most simple yet flavorful turkey burgers, and you wont even need a grill.
This recipe was inspired by a burger that I had a Mercat Bistro in my home city of Dallas, TX. It is decadently simple but packs all the flavor you could need.
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Ingredients
The first question I was asked when I made these turkey burgers was "Why turkey?" the answer was pretty simple. It's arguably a little healthier than beef, and for me I enjoy the flavor just as much if not more. You could absolutely sub for beef but I would say don't sleep on the turkey. The turkey burgers will go on a nice toasted Dave's Killer Bread 21 Grain Bun with a truffle & garlic dijonnaise, accompanied by some peppery arugula, and finished off with some caramelized onions and garlic.
- Ground turkey (We use 93% lean or 93/7)
- Egg
- Breadcrumbs
- Lipton Onion Soup Mix
- Fiesta Seasonings - Uncle Chris's Gourmet Steak Seasoning
- Gruyère Cheese
- Light Mayo
- Truffle Oil
- Garlic
- Dijon Mustard
- Onion
- Arugula
- Dave's Killer Bread 21 Grain Buns
- Butter
See recipe card for quantities.
Hint: In order to get the onions perfectly thin I like to use a mandolin on the thinnest setting. This helps with edibility so you don't have big clumsy chunks of caramelized onion getting in the way or sliding off your burger.
Substitutions
- Beef - instead of turkey use some ground beef if you prefer
- Mustard - if you prefer not to have mustard in the dijonaise, just keep it to the mayo, or try adding some ketchup for a more traditional burger sauce
- Greens - instead of arugula, some fresh spinach would go well here
- Bun - feel free to opt for your bun of choice
- Vegetarian - the turkey patty would be well replaced with a portabella mushroom cooked to your preference
Variations
- Spicy - add some finely diced jalapeno's to the caramelized onions and garlic
- Dilly - instead of truffle oil, add some pickle relish or finely diced dill pickle spear to the dijonnaise
- Make it a salad - I love using the leftover burger patties from this recipe and dicing them up into a spinach salad with some of my caramelized onions, some grape tomatoes, croutons, and a spicy ranch dressing
Equipment
For this recipe the main piece of equipment that I go for is my Lodge 12" Cast Iron Skillet. Nothing gets the right sear on a protein quite like a cast iron. Other than that you'll just need a spatula for flipping, a large bowl to mix up your burger patty ingredients and a small bowl to combine your ingredients for the dijonnaise.
Storage
- Fridge - You can store the leftover patties in the fridge for 4-5 days
- Freezer - Let the burgers cool and put into freezer safe ziplock back to pull out for later
Matt's Top Tip
While I understand the temptation to grill your burgers, I highly suggest giving this a shot in a cast iron first. Cooking the burgers together with the onions and garlic gives both the patties and the onions and garlic more flavor.
FAQ
Of course you can! Sometimes you just need that open flame, it's therapeutic, I get it!
Absolutely, just make sure you are checking your internal temperatures to ensure the turkey gets fully cooked.
Gruyère & Caramelized Onion Turkey Burgers
Equipment
- 1 12" Cast Iron Skillet
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Large mixing bowl
- 1 Small saucer for the dijonnaise
Ingredients
Turkey Burgers
- 1 lb. Ground Turkey (93/7)
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 Tbsp. Lipton Onion Soup Mix
- To Taste Fiesta Brand Uncle Chris' Gourmet Steak Seasoning Use salt & pepper in a pinch
Caramelized Onions & Garlic
- ½ Yellow Onion thinly sliced
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil extra virgin
- 2 Tbsp. Butter salted
Truffle & Garlic Dijonnaise
- 2 tablespoon Mayonnaise Light
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 1 tsp. Truffle Oil
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
To Serve
- ½ lb. Gruyere Cheese thickly sliced
- 4 Dave's Killer Buns 21 Grain
- Arugula
Instructions
- Combine ground turkey, egg, breadcrumbs & soup mix in a large mixing bowl
- Separate the turkey mixture into fourths, and form patties, season both sides of the patties with the steak seasoning.
- Using a mandolin, slice yellow onion. I usually use the thinnest setting on my mandolin, which is 1/16 of an inch thickness.
- Get your cast iron preheated on medium-high heat
- Combine the mayo, dijon mustard, about 1 clove of your garlic, and the truffle oil and mix well untul the oil is combined in the mayo and you have a silky dijonnaise
- Add your olive oil to the heated pan with your onions, cook until the onions are tender (about 3-5 minutes)
- Collect your onions in a small pile in the middle of the pan, add your burger patties to the pan surrounding the onions. Add the rest of your garlic on top of your onions along with your butter.
- Let the burgers get a nice sear (4-5 minutes) then flip the patties and turn the heat to medium. The whole time you are letting your pile of onions and garlic sit while the butter melts into them.
- Let the burgers cook on the second side for about a minute, then add your thickly sliced gruyère cheese and cover the pan. Let cook until cheese is melted (2-3 minutes).
- Remove your burgers from the pan, and stir your onions and garlic in the drippings left from your patties. Your onions should get to a deep dark brown color pretty quickly (about 1 minute). Remove the onions from the pan into a small bowl.
- Toast your bun in a separate pan on medium heat. I don't usually butter the bun for this since these burgers are rich enough.
- Construct your burger. I usually put some dijonnaise on both buns, arugula on the bottom, burger over the arugula and onions on top. Enjoy!
Evan Bellingar says
Looks delicious!
Matt says
Let me know how you like it!