I would like to state for the record that I don’t go around making turkey burgers very often, because…let’s face it. They’re turkey burgers. In three million years, they could never hold a candle to a regular burger when it comes to flavor, and I’m not just saying that because I live with a cattle rancher. I’m saying it to just get it over with, to get it out in the open: Turkey burgers and beef burgers…well, there’s just no comparison.
That said, if you dress it up just right, a turkey burger can be a nice change of pace and—theoretically, anyway—a nice little foray into healthy eating, unless of course you serve said turkey burger on a very large bagel with a goat cheese spread, avocado, and next to a pile of homemade fries.
Look, I’m not on this earth to make perfect sense. That’s not what I have to offer the world.
This really was yummy! The key is adding plenty of savory seasonings to the turkey; salt, pepper, and Worcestershire are good. And I added an egg yolk for a binder and because I wanted to, not necessarily in that order.
Come make one with me.
The Cast of Characters: Ground turkey, Everything bagels, goat or cream cheese, sundried tomato or basil pesto, tomatoes, avocado, and basil leaves if you have them. I had planned to use lettuce, but I wound up scrapping it. Burger didn’t need it.
Throw the (really grody looking, if you want my honest opinion) ground turkey into a bowl.
I wouldn’t want to meet this stuff in a dark alley, I’ll tell you that.
Throw in plenty of dashes of Worcestershire, some salt and pepper, and an egg yolk. Because you’re worth it.
Knead the meat together, form it into patties, and throw them into a skillet with a little canola oil and butter over medium-high heat. Cook them thoroughly! There should be zero sign of pink in the middle. Cook, cook, and cook some more. Amen.
Meanwhile, split the bagels in half and toast them in a separate skillet with plenty of melted butter. They should be golden brown and slightly crispy. Everything bagels are perfect for turkey burgers because they bring even more flavor to the scenario.
Throw the goat cheese (or cream cheese; yum) into a bowl and plop in some pesto.
Stir this around, then please resist the urge to blaze through an entire box of crackers with this blessed concoction spread on top.
But sometime if you’re looking for a nice cracker spread, here you go.
To serve the burger, spread a good amount of the creaminess on both sides of the toasted bagel.
Then throw on the nice, flavorful, sizzling hot burger…
Then two or three juicy, red slices of tomato…
Then lay a few slices of avocado on the top bun and two or three basil leaves on top of the tomatoes.
Now that…is one beautiful turkey burger.
It’s even more beautiful next to a plate of absolutely perfect homemade french fries…which will be our next recipe.
This burger’s going to require some major smushing in order to fit your mouth around it…but all good things in life are worth a little work!
Here’s the handy dandy printable:
