Smothered Maple Turkey Burgers (with caramelized onions & apples).

So – turkey burgers. They’re a fairly polarizing food, I’ve found. In fact, I used to be on the “wait, why isn’t this beef?” team. My 6th-grade self is rather infamous with good family friends for being appalled to discover the burger I was served at their house was made of – turkey. I had honestly never heard of or imagined such a thing, and I just couldn’t get over it (or, you know, politely eat it. Sorry about that, guys!). But along with mushrooms, pesto, and Brussels sprouts, my adult palate has expanded to include turkey burgers, and we eat them regularly. (Not true for mayonnaise, raw broccoli, or sushi – I just – I can’t.)

While I most appreciate a fairly simple beef burger – just salt and pepper, please – I’m willing to mix just about anything into ground turkey. These maple turkey burgers from Rachael Ray are our new favorite, and are delish even without the toppings – lightly sweet with a crispy exterior, but not dry inside, as lower-fat burgers can tend to be.

I like to mix up the maple syrup, brown mustard, grated onion, and Worcestershire sauce first so that it gets evenly distributed into the ground turkey.

So much flavor in this bowl!

I used a pound of turkey, so this made three burgers. Get in there with your hands and lightly mix it up!

Jay grilled our turkey burgers, and since the patties are pretty sticky and wet from all the liquid you just mixed in, a little square of waxed paper makes it easier to slap them on the grill. You can also cook them inside on a grill pan or in a heavy skillet (such as cast iron) with a little oil.

Now, the exciting part – the sautéed onions and apples really make the burger. I like that you can grate a little of the onion into the burger and then use the rest – storing partial onions is a major kitchen pet peeve of mine.

Onions get cooking with a pat of butter, and then when they’re almost done you add thinly sliced apple and some salt and pepper.

This skillet smells like heaven.

The first time we had these burgers, we had some leftover bacon, and obviously that was awesome. I didn’t even miss it this time around, though – not with melted cheddar cheese and a pile of lightly caramelized, sweet-salty-tart onions and apples. Jay added some new bbq sauce I found at Trader Joe’s – Organic Sriracha and Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce – to add a little heat and complement the slight sweetness from the maple in the burger.

Go Team Turkey Burger!

Smothered Maple Turkey Burgers (with caramelized onions & apples).

• Author: Bet Denton
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 3 (1/3-lb) burgers

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Ingredients

For the burgers:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 Tablespoons grated onion (I use the small holes on a box grater and hold it over the bowl – a microplane would work well too)
• 1.5 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 1.5 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tablespoon brown mustard
• kosher salt and pepper, for sprinkling

For the caramelized onions & apples:

• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 apple, thinly sliced (I used Gala)
• salt and pepper to taste
• Buns for serving, and bbq sauce, cheese and/or bacon for additional toppings!

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Instructions

For the burgers:

1. Mix the grated onion, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard in a large bowl. Add the turkey and use your hands to gently but thoroughly mix. Form three patties and place each on a square of waxed paper. Sprinkle burgers with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
2. To grill, cook 4-5 minutes per side over direct or high heat, until cooked through (160 degrees).
3. To cook on the stovetop, heat a lightly oiled grill pan or heavy skillet (such as cast iron) over medium to medium-high heat and cook burgers for about 6 minutes per side, until cooked through (160 degrees).

For the caramelized onions & apples:

1. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until they are very soft and getting brown (if they are browning too quickly, reduce heat to medium-low). Add apples and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and cook 3-4 more minutes or until apples are just tender.
2. To serve, melt cheese (if using) onto burgers during the last minute of cooking (or melt it onto the buns). Place each burger on a bun and pile with cooked apples and onions. Add bacon and/or bbq sauce if using!

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Notes

This recipe is slightly adapted from Rachael Ray

I scaled the recipe to make 3 burgers since I had 1 lb of turkey. These reheat very well, so feel free to scale it up and enjoy the leftovers!

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