Mediterranean Turkey Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries
Ground turkey, being lower in fat than ground beef (I’ll leave venison out of this particular discussion, and focus just on the meats available in your local market), is often used as a beef substitute in tacos, pasta sauce, meatloaf, and so on. It’s considered by the health-conscious to be the “beef alternative” staple of a low-fat diet. However, ground turkey can sometimes provide less-than-desirable culinary results. While less fatty, it is thus less moist, and doesn’t bind together as well as beef. And while the texture of ground turkey is similar to that of ground beef, the flavor is completely different. So unless you’re adding a packet of taco seasoning or disguising it in a sauce, you’re going to end up with a dish that is distinctly Not Beef.
My favorite ground turkey recipes incorporate seasonings that complement the flavor of the meat, rather than trying to disguise it as something it’s not. I think that’s the key to cooking with ground turkey: play up its unique flavor. Don’t drive the coupe like it’s an ORV, right?
The recipe below, Mediterranean Turkey Burgers, adapted from Cooking Light, is one of my favorites using ground turkey. The olive oil in the pesto and the moisture in the goat cheese, with the help of the bread crumbs, make for a burger that won’t fall apart on the grill. And these are hefty burgers, too. I never feel like I’m settling for a burger that’s less than a burger should be. They are moist, flavorful, and won’t leave you feeling cheated in any way.
A burger in and of itself isn’t a meal, of course, so I’ve included a full dinner menu with instructions. In the interests of not detracting from the low-fat status of the turkey, everything on the menu is nutritious and prepared healthfully.
Menu
Mediterranean Turkey Burgers
Sweet potato oven fries
Red, yellow, and orange bell pepper strips (or other colorful fresh veggies)
Homemade Tzatziki sauce, for topping your burger and/or dipping peppers
Fresh fruit
Mediterranean Turkey Burgers
1 pound lean ground turkey breast
1/2 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs, available in the Asian foods section of most markets)
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
1 tablespoon minced red onion
2 tablespoons prepared pesto (I like Classico)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Mix all ingredients together by hand, as you would meatloaf, until fully incorporated. Separate into 4 balls of equal size, and shape into patties. Grill or broil five minutes on each side. Serve on whole wheat rolls or in a whole wheat pita with Tzatziki sauce and fresh greens.
Sweet Potato Oven Fries
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Scrub two medium sweet potatoes really well, but don’t peel. Cut each one in half lengthwise, then into wedges. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil, place the wedges on it, spray again to coat the potatoes lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 20-30 minutes, watching carefully, turning occasionally, and testing for doneness with a knife. Fries are done when they are crisp on the very outside, and soft inside.
Tzatziki Sauce
1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt (I like Ciobani)
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced very small (Don’t know how to seed a cucumber? See note, below).
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Stir all ingredients together and chill, allowing the flavors to marry.
The How-to
Assemble all of your ingredients.
Wash and cut the bell peppers and fresh fruit, and refrigerate.
Peel, seed, and dice the cucumber.
Preheat the oven, prep the sweet potatoes, and put them in to bake.
Prep the burgers and put them under the broiler or on the grill, remembering to check on the fries, turning them often, and remembering to flip the burgers after five minutes.
Meanwhile, stir together the Tzatziki sauce.
Enjoy!
Note: How to Seed a Cucumber
First, don’t worry – you’re not the first person who needed a note on this! Peel the cucumber, then cut off the ends. Slice it in half lengthwise, then slice each half again lengthwise, so that you have four quarters. Using a paring knife, slice lengthwise to remove the point of each quarter, as much as needed to cut off the seedy portion. This will give you four long almost-flat pieces of cucumber, which are then easily chopped, diced, or julienned.