It can be difficult to make turkey into a great burger without some extra oomph. This recipe uses extras packed with flavour to add savouriness, improve texture, and help browning.
Patties
- 1 small eggplant, about 200 g (7 oz), or the same weight of mushrooms
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- ¼ tsp Marmite or soup base (bouillon, demi, soup powder)
- 500 g (1 lb) boneless, skinless turkey thighs, cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes, or ground turkey
- 1 anchovy fillet, mashed to a paste
- or 60 ml (¼ cup) feta and 60 ml (¼ cup) diced sun-dried tomatoes
- Parmesan works in place of the feta
Oil and season the eggplant or mushrooms, wrap in foil, and roast at 200°C (400°F) until tender, 20–30 minutes. Cool. Scrape the flesh away from the skin and mince or mash it fine.
Stir the Marmite or soup base, soy sauce, and any other minced savoury extras together in a bowl. Add the turkey and mash everything together, or run it through a meat grinder.
Cut squares of parchment slightly larger than your patties. Set a 140 g (5 oz) ball of the mixture on each square, top with a second square, and press flat with a cutting board or pan to no more than 7 mm (¼ inch) thick. Tidy the edges with your fingers. Thin patties brown more for their weight and don’t ball up in the pan; two thin patties beat one thick one.
Freeze the patties, at least partially, before cooking.
Heat a pan with oil, a flattop, or a grill. Peel off the top sheet of parchment, flip the patty onto the cooking surface, and peel away the bottom sheet as it drops. Cook until well browned on both sides and the centre reads 70°C (158°F). Rest briefly while you toast the buns.
Special sauce
- 250 ml (1 cup) Hellmann’s mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, diced fine
- 2 sweet garlic or dill pickles, diced
- 2 tbsp onion or shallot, diced fine
- Salt and pepper
- Parsley, dill, or other soft herbs, chopped (optional)
Mix everything together. Taste and adjust. Set aside.
To serve
Buns, cut sides toasted in a dry non-stick pan over medium heat until golden, with the special sauce and any of: shredded iceberg or romaine, thinly sliced tomato, thinly sliced red onion, sliced pickles, mustard. The patties also work over salads, or on regular bread with sprouts.
Notes
- Patties keep 3–4 days in the fridge or 3–4 weeks in the freezer, stacked with their parchment in a container or zip-top bag. Most parchment can be composted.
- The 70°C target counts the last minutes in the pan toward the safety hold. See Food safety: time and temperature. Cook to 74°C (165°F) for anyone pregnant, elderly, very young, or immunocompromised.