Knife And Fork Turkey Jalapeno Burgers

I love burgers, but I only eat them occasionally although even more in the summer season.  When I do eat burgers, 99% of the time I make them at home so I can fill them with unique ingredients and less judging from waiters on my specific requests. 🙂

A leaner meat to use for a burger that is just as juicy and still really amazing is turkey.  I also found that these burgers hold together perfectly without needing breadcrumbs. Therefore, it’s great protein and even better, gluten free. I made these burgers cheesy and pretty big. We call these type of burgers, knife and fork burgers. You could still certainly add a big slice of tomato or wrap the lettuce leaf around it for a lettuce bun if you wanted. Eating a lettuce bun seems to be a pretty popular option all over the west coast lately where we have been focused on eating more low carb for healthy reasons. Eating lower carb had made a difference on how I feel.

Okay on to the recipe. Super simple. Buy your ground turkey, and you’re going to mix in some deliciousness. I was craving spicy when I was at the market and some jalapenos were just the right spice. By using canned jalapenos, you won’t get as much heat as you would from a fresh jalapeno. Most of the seeds are removed and the jalapenos are cooked as part of the canning process. If you’re not a super spicy person but want to try a mild flavor, this is a good place to start. You can even use half of the amount of the jalapeno if you want even a less amount. 

If you consider the mix of ingredients in this recipe, you might start singing the song from Sesame Street that goes “One of these things is not like the other. One of these things just doesn’t belong….”  As long as I’ve been a chef, cooking food you like, is one of the things you can do. You will understand the flavor and the spice or the the pairing. I happened to love parmesan and its nutty flavor. It goes so well in this burger. Parmesan compliments turkey like a boutonniere to a corsage. I would say jalapenos and cilantro have similar compatibility. Let’s throw these four things together and see what happens? The result?  A subtle spicy and nutty creamy burger. My boyfriend threw a piece of mozzarella on top of that too but its a matter of preference. This time around, we cooked our burgers in the oven. You want to cook turkey to 165 degrees. I wouldn’t recommend eating a turkey burger under cooked. If you’re going to grill these burgers, use a spatula to handle them carefully and put an indent in the middle before you place them on the grill to help the burger cook evenly.  Something the size of a thumbprint will help the patty hold its shape rather than swelling as the burger shrinks in size as it cooks because the proteins tighten and liquid is burned off.  You could also cook the burgers on a metal rack in the oven. I chose to use a sheet pan this time.

A final tip here when you’re making a burger recipe. You should decide which ingredient is the star of the show.  For beef burgers, I love to use ground chuck.  Ground chuck or beef to me has a stronger less subtle flavor and might be really good with jalapenos. However, I would perhaps find a stronger flavored cheese like peccorino (sheep milk cheese) or Monterrey Jack. Your star is the beef. In my turkey burger, I would say the jalapeno is the star.

Chefs-tip: If you just need a small amount of cheese for a recipe, you can often find chunks of specialty cheese in the grocers deli case. They are often cut from large wheels and can be around only $2 for 1/4 cup. For a burger recipe like this, you wouldn’t need more than that. When you have the option, shred your own cheese. Pre shredded cheese often has soy-lecithin to keep the cheese from clumping. It can change the flavor. Pre-shedded cheese can also be a time saver. I love it in some instances. If you try this recipe, let me know! Tag @emeraldmenus in your social media. Enjoy!

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Knife & Fork Turkey Jalapeno Burger

A Gluten Free juicy and slightly spicy burger that you eat with a knife and fork.

Servings 4 people

Chef Julie Chef Julie

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 each yellow onion- small diced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 each whole eggs
• 1/8 cup canned jalapenos- small diced

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients together really well until combined. 

2. Form four even size balls by rolling them into your palm to shape

3. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil that is sprayed with cooking spray, flatten the burgers.

4. At this point you can put each patty on the grill for 2 to 3 minutes before turning and flipping(approx 9 to 10 min total)  or you can bake them for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F. 

The recipe and images in this blog post belong to Chef Julie and Emerald Menus. Please do not reproduce without permission.