I started making turkey burgers years ago, in an effort to feed my family something as quick and easy as a regular hamburger but not as high in fat. Unfortunately, I realized rather quickly that the best turkey burgers are made with dark thigh meat, which is nearly as high in fat as beef. So scratch the low fat part off the descriptor. I prefer beef burgers made with 85% lean meat and the ground dark meat turkey most commonly found is 93% lean, so it is slightly lower in fat. All that said, what I am mostly after is a burger that tastes delicious.
A trick I discovered on Goop, of all places, is to add lots of fresh herbs to the burgers. The herbs really bump up the flavor and add juiciness. I have used cilantro and parsley along with cumin, which gives them a Mediterranean vibe. You could make these more Italian if you leave out the cumin and swap basil for the cilantro, add more garlic and chopped sun-dried tomatoes, or make them with all parsley, if you have a cilantro hater in your family.
These burgers are perfect on a soft potato bun with the usual condiments, though my favorite way to eat them is in two-bite sized patties as an appetizer or part of a meze plate with herbed vinaigrette and yogurt sauce on the side. They are delicious hot or at room temperature, and I have even eaten them cold straight from the fridge as a late night snack!
Herbed Turkey Burgers
Serves 4 for dinner, at least 6 as an appetizer
1 pound ground dark meat turkey
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 scallions, halved lengthwise if they are fat and thinly sliced, white and light green parts
1 egg, graded large
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Mix together the ground turkey and all remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.
Shape into 4 patties if you are making standard sized burgers. If you are making smaller patties, simply use a tablespoon to drop the mixture into the hot oil when you are ready to cook them.
Heat a film of olive oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat until hot. Drop largish spoonfuls of the mixture into the skillet and press lightly to flatten. Cook until nicely browned, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook other side until burger is cooked through, about another 3-5 minutes. If you are making 4 large burgers, add another 5-7 minutes on to the cooking time.
Serve with yogurt thinned with a little lemon juice or ketchup.