Pan-Grilled Turkey Burgers with Hand-Cut Oven Fries

Ground turkey makes great burgers, especially the dark meat, which is a bit tastier than breast meat. Both are leaner than beef, and with a few easy additions, such as shallot, garlic, and cilantro, you can crank up the flavor of the patties from the inside out—and skip the heavy toppings.

I used dark, thigh meat in this recipe, but if you prefer breast meat, I recommend adding a couple tablespoons of fine, dry breadcrumbs (such as panko) to the patty mixture. Ground turkey is very soft and moist, and the breast meat is downright mushy—meaning it doesn’t hold together well as a patty without something to help bind it.

Tip: Don’t use an egg as the binder. The meat is already so soft and supple that adding an egg will send it sliding right through your fingers. 

One more thought on turkey burgers: You can grill them as you would beef burgers over charcoal or gas flames, but a grill pan is better for a delicate ground meat. No need to worry about it falling apart and going straight through the grill rack.

Although this simple weeknight dinner is low-key and kid-friendly, it’s much lighter and more healthful than a typical burger-and-fries meal, including the hand-cut potatoes, which require only a drizzle of oil for that French fry flavor straight from the oven. (For the fries recipe, check out Hand-Cut Oven Fries. You can cut the potatoes either into sticks or wedges.)

Use your favorite condiments and toppings, but try to avoid heavy, fatty ones to keep this easy, common meal guilt-free.

Makes 3 burgers

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb ground turkey thigh
• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil, for brushing
• 3 sandwich rolls, toasted
• 3 thin slices of pepper jack cheese
• condiments and toppings (I kept it simple with Dijon mustard, ketchup, onion slices, and dill pickles.)

Preparation

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients (through red pepper flakes) in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper.
2. Dampen your hands with water to prevent the turkey mixture from sticking to them. Form the meat into 3 equal patties. Place on a plate and refrigerate about 15 minutes to help the mixture hold together while cooking.

Ready to Mix

Turkey Burger Patties

1. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
2. Lightly brush the pan with olive oil and grill the burgers about 6 minutes on 1 side, until browned and grill marks appear. Turn and grill 4-5 minutes on the other side. 
3. Top each burger with a slice of cheese and grill until the cheese melts (place a sheet of foil over the grill pan to help it melt quickly).

Patties Beginning to Cook

Patties after Turning

Ready for Cheese

Grilled Burgers

1. Place the burgers on the bottoms of each sandwich roll and let your guests add their own condiments and toppings. Serve with oven fries alongside.

Pan-Grilled Turkey Burgers with Hand-Cut Oven Fries