Due to my high cholesterol issues I have become something of a mad scientist of the turkey burger. Now I will be the first to admit that when you think of turkey burgers you don’t exactly get that mouth watering sensation you have when you think of a nice juicy grilled beef burger, but with a little extra effort you can turn that turkey burger into a delicious burger that anyone will appreciate. In fact once you get used to the lower fat content of the turkey burger the thought of a fatty beef burger isn’t as appealing.
Here is one of my favorite turkey burger recipes that I improvised in the kitchen recently. It’s the blackened turkey burger with portobello mushrooms. The key ingredients are the blacken seasoning, portobello mushrooms and the ciabatta sandwich buns. This is a very easy recipe.
Blackened Turkey Burger Ingredients
Zatarains Blackened Seasoning (any brand will do or use your own blend)
Grill Mates Hamburger Seasoning (any brand will do or use your own blend)
Salt
Black Peppercorn
Turkey Burger Patties 1/2 inch thick
Olive oil
Portobello mushroom caps
Ciabatta buns (onion if a good choice but anything beyond the typical burger bun will really bring this burger to life)
Sprinkle your Hamburger seasoning, blackened seasoning, salt and pepper on both sides of the turkey patties. The amount of blackened seasoning you use obviously depends on your own preference. I like spicy foods, and I always go heavy on the blackened seasoning, but I always go lighter when I’m cooking for other people. Once you cover your patties with the spices lightly coat olive oil (optional) on each side of the patties. Cook on about 400 degrees for about 25-30 minutes, or until done to your preference. Flip the burgers half way through cooking.
At the same time you are cooking your burgers you can also cook your portobello mushroom caps. Clean them by removing the stems and knocking away the black little black scales underneath the caps. Dry them and place in aluminum foil lined casserole dish. Apply a small amount of olive oil or low fat butter, slightly fold the foil over the mushrooms and cook them in the same oven with the burgers. Watch them occasionally because they might cook slightly faster than the burgers.
Once the burgers are done cooking lightly coat the ciabatta buns with olive oil and toast them in the oven for a few minutes until only slightly toasted.
You’ll notice in this recipe I apply olive oil to nearly everything. Although olive oil is supposed to be good for you I think it is possible to over do it. I suggest you use it very lightly.
Now that the cooking is over the fun part begins. You can build your burger any way you want but I like mine with a very light spreading of mustard, low fat miracle whip, tomato, onion and topped off with a portobello mushroom cap. The portobello mushroom is a key ingredient to this recipe and I discovered that ketchup seems to overpower the flavor of the mushroom, but you can try it for yourself.
Enjoy.
