Murphy's Turkey Burger

The burger is the grill staple in the summer but sometimes I get bored with the same old recipe and ingredients. I am a red meat eater, but I really love ground turkey as much, and often use it for meals like burgers, tacos and meatballs. Turkey is a great substitute for ground beef, and this is my favorite recipe for a turkey burger. This is one of those recipes that just happened and worked really well. My only real hurdle in cooking a meal specifically for my husband is that he doesn't like cheese. (Insert GASPS of horror now..who hates cheese?) He'll eat cheese melted on a pizza or in lasagna, maybe a grilled cheese sandwich, but not much more than that. I might have added a thin slice of fresh mozzarella cheese to these burgers (had I not married this bizarre, yet wonderful person) but instead, I opted for a Parmesan crisp (which he ended up not eating; fruitless effort) which also turned out to be really nice!


For the burger:
1lb ground turkey
2 roasted red bell peppers
2 cloves garlic
1/2 c sweet basil
2 tbsp fresh oregano
1/2 tsp salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 c breadcrumbs
1 egg


In a food processor, add the roasted peppers, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper and process until smooth. Add mixture to ground turkey in a bowl, and mix in breadcrumbs and egg, mixing with your hands. If the mixture is a little wet, add another 1/8 c breadcrumbs and mix again, finding the right consistency. Shape the turkey mixture into 4 patties around 1 inch thick and grill on a lightly oiled rack over medium-high heat until they are cooked through, usually 6-7 minutes each side. Remove from grill and rest for 5 minutes.



For the Parmesan Crisp:
Preheat oven to 400*F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat and pour several heaping teaspoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese onto sheet, about 1 inch apart from each other. Sprinkle lightly with black pepper. Bake about 5 minutes until golden and slightly crisp. (I found they weren't as crisp as I thought they should be, but after about 1 minute out of the oven, the crispiness was achieved)



Basil Mayonnaise:

This mayo is simple... puree 1/4 c fresh sweet basil in food processor with 1/2 c store bought mayonnaise. And....Done! (You can and I would try making homemade mayonnaise, but I didn't for this)



Serve turkey burger on a nice roll, topped with the Parmesan crisp and basil mayo.