Turkey Burgers

I've tried recipe after recipe for turkey burgers and they always seem to end up blahhhhh. No flavor and they usually have the taste and texture of cardboard. I eat a lot of cardboard so I know how that tastes.  I found this recipe from Martha Stewart and it's actually pretty good and Lovey liked it; which is what really matters in this house if I'm making a burger out of turkey instead of beef.

There aren't a lot of ingredients; but the few that there are pack a punch of flavor.

Fresh sage.

 

Roasted garlic. This can be done earlier in the day or the day before. Here's how I do it.

 

 Provolone cheese.

 And, of course, ground turkey.  I prefer a mixture of white and dark.

Just mix it all up.

 

Divide the mixture into four portions and form into patties. Conveniently, these can be made early in the day or even the day before.

 

 I threw them on a medium-high grill for about 3-4 minutes per side.

NOTE:  I doctored my first burger up like I do a beef hamburger with onion, tomato, lettuce and kosher pickle.  Although good, it really masked the flavors that this burger has.  I prefer with minimal condiments because the meat is flavored really nice with the sage and garlic.  The original recipe suggested using a simple tomato pureé spread on it.

ALSO:  Although char-grilled flavor can't be beat on a burger, I prefer these cooked in a cast iron skillet. The garlic, sage, and cheese flavors are much more prevalent.

Turkey Burgers
Yields 4 burgers

Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds ground turkey - mixture of breast and dark-meat turkey
1/4 cup roasted garlic
2-1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh sage
1-1/4 cups grated provolone cheese - about 5 ounces
1/2 tsp. each Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 hamburger buns
vegetable oil
melted butter

Mise en Place:

• roast garlic
• chop sage
• grate cheese

Method:
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, gently combine with your hands the turkey, garlic, sage, cheese, salt and pepper.  Do not overwork the meat.  Shape into four patties.  Refrigerate, covered, until cold, about 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat grill to medium-high (if you are using a charcoal grill, coals are ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grill for just 3 to 4 seconds). Brush grill and burgers with vegetable oil. Grill, flipping once, until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Alternately, you can prepare inside using a cast iron skillet.

Brush both sides of buns with melted butter and place on grill until lightly toasted.

Serve with crispy oven fries.

Roasted Garlic 101

I use garlic more than any other ingredient in my kitchen.  I use it in sauces, soups, dressings, marinades and I sneak it in any dish I can; except ice cream.  I've never used it in ice cream. I don't believe I'll ever use it in ice cream.

Roasting it is so easy and you can use it in so many things.  I use it in turkey burgers, hummus, combine it with Hellmans as a sandwich spread, rub it under the skin of a chicken before roasting, and it's great smeared on toasted baguette slices.



I like to do four bulbs at a time.  You will get about 1/2 cup of mashed roasted garlic and it keeps in the refrigerator well.

Slice the tops off of each bulb.  Place on a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil and drizzle 1 Tbsp. of olive oil over the tops.


Wrap the foil up and around the garlic and place in a small baking dish.  Bake in a 400° F. oven for an hour and 15 minutes.


 Open the foil pouch and allow to cool to the touch.

 Squeeze the garlic cloves into a mixing bowl then mash with a fork until smooth.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

 The tops of the bulbs that are cut off have alot of good garlic in them that I hate to waste.  I place them in a dish and cover them with olive oil.  The infused oil is great to using in all sorts of dishes.  You can also chop up the garlic and use it as well.

Ham Hocks and Beans

There's nothing more Southern then a pot of beans that has been simmered until tender and creamy, flavored with smoked ham hocks. There's also nothing more controversial than how to cook your beans.  Soak vs Quick-soak vs Don't Soak.......Change water vs Cook in soaking liquid.......Salt at the beginning vs Salt at the end.........Cook covered vs Cook uncovered; and on and on. It's hard to ruin beans; just don't hard boil them to death.

Do what works best for you. It's important for you to figure out what works best for you with your equipment, altitude, schedule, etc. 




Simple ingredients can produce a tasty, stick-to-your-ribs meal.  There are Great Northern beans, smoked ham shanks (ham hocks are good too), onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. I don't know if my beans are ever exactly the same each time I make them; all depends on what flavoring meat, aromatics, and herbs you have on hand. Sometimes I don't use anything but Bay leaves.

Here's my quick-soak method.  Place 1 pound of rinsed, dried Great Northern beans in a large pot of water; enough to cover the beans.  Bring to a boil then remove from heat, cover and let soak for 1 hour.

 

 While the beans are soaking chop up your onion, dice the garlic and make a bouquet garni of 1 sprig fresh thyme and 2 bay leaves. For this recipe I chose to wrap my bouquet garni in cheese cloth so I don't have bits of thyme floating around in my beans.  I just want the flavor.

After the soaking period add the ham shanks or hocks, onion, garlic, and bouquet garni to the pot .  If necessary, add enough boiling water to cover beans.  Bring to a boil then simmer, uncovered, until beans are tender.  Check after 1 hour.  Add additional boiling water if necessary to keep beans covered.  Beans should be done in an hour to an hour and a half.

I salt at the end of cooking for a couple of reasons:  1) I agree, from experience, that salting at the beginning toughens the skin of the bean and it takes longer to cook; and 2) you never know just how salty your hocks will be.

Serve with cornbread.  It's the law.



Ham Hocks and Beans
Serves

Ingredients:
1 pound dried Great Northern beans
8 cups water
1 large yellow onion
1 large clove garlic
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

1 pound smoked ham hocks or ham shanks
Extra water, if necessary
Kosher salt, to taste

Method:
Rinse beans and place in 5 quart pot.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Remove pot from heat, cover and let soak for one hour.

While the beans are soaking, chop the onion and garlic and set aside.  In a small square of cheese cloth wrap up the thyme and bay leaf and tie with kitchen twine.

Add the onion, garlic, bouquet garni, and ham hocks to pot of beans. If necessary, add enough boiling water to cover beans.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until tender.  Check at 1 hour and add any additional liquid to keep beans covered (be sure to boil water prior to adding to pot).

Remove hocks or shanks.  When cool, remove meat and return to pot.  Serve with hot cornbread.

OTHER COMBOS THAT I'D MAKE AGAIN:

• Great Northerns and a smoked turkey leg no one ate at Thanksgiving. Who really eats the turkey leg anyway?