Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Turkey Bacon Avocado Burger


I love Turkey Burgers, but it's hard to find a good one. These are good. Shane said, "It's the best Turkey Burger I've ever had, and you can quote me on that". So, that's all I'm going to say.


Ingredients
8 hamburger buns (recipe to follow)
2 lbs Ground Turkey
2 Ripe Avocados
12 slices Thick, Center Cut Apple Wood Smoked Bacon
8 slices Gouda cheese
2 cups thinly sliced Romaine Lettuce
1-2 T Newman's Olive Oil Vinegarette
Mayo
Salted Butter
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper

Burger Buns
1 cup water
2 T butter
1 Large egg
3 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 t Salt
1 T Instant yeast

Method
Combine all the ingredients and mix and knead them together until you've made a soft smooth dough. (By hand or by mixer) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise for 1 hour.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces, and shape each piece into a flattened ball. Place the buns on greased cookie sheets, cover and let rise for 30-40 minutes, until they're puffy.

Pre-heat the oven to 375.

Bake the buns for 12-15 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and let them cool on a rack.

Cooking and Assembling your Burgers

Split your buns, spread them with salted butter, and fry them on a pan, or put under the broiler until the insides are toasted. Set aside.

Gently crumble your ground turkey and divide into 8 sections. Then gently gather each section, and form into a patty - don't smash it or squish it, just gently work it until it's the right form. Make an indentation with your thumbs in the center of each patty - you do this so when your burgers cook and swell, they plump into a nice even flat shape, instead of puffing into more of a ball shape. Season each patty generously with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, and set aside to come to room temperature.

Cook your bacon slices until crispy and set to drain on a paper towel. Drain the fat from the pan, but don't wipe it out completely.

Re-heat your pan to medium-high heat, and place your burgers in the pan - seasoned side down. Quickly season the side facing up, and let them cook for 4-6 minutes, then flip, and cook for about 3-4 more minutes, or until just cooked through. (you don't want them to dry out) Then place one slice of gouda on each burger, and tent with foil for 30 seconds so the cheese melts. Remove the burgers to a separate plate for 30 seconds to a minute before placing on the buns, so the excess liquid doesn't run down into your bun and make it soggy.

Assemble your burgers. Place the burgers on the buttered and toasted buns, break up the bacon slices and arrange on top - 1 1/2 pieces each. Then cut and slice the avocado and divide among the burgers - at least 3 good thick slices. ** Then, and this is important, season the avocado with salt and pepper. Then toss the sliced romaine with 1-2 Tablespoons of the vinegarette, and divide among the burgers. Spread the bun tops with mayo and top the burgers. Serve Immediately, and enjoy.

3 comments:

Julianne said...

Lauren, you have been a recipe blogging powerhouse lately! Where do you find the time! Is this how you "nest"? :) How are you feeling? I can't wait to hear about your little "almost here" baby. Good luck with the last bit of pregnancy!

Annie and Jake Callister said...

lauren, i like how simple the meat is. i'm not a fan of dumping a ton of sauces or seasoning into my meat. This is how we like to eat our burgers as well. Thanks for the thumb print tip.

Lauren Dyer said...

Julianne,
I feel great! As long as I'm not on my feet for too long. And I cook because it's how I relax, and "nest"

Annie,
I read something that Bobby Flay said in one of his cookbooks - "If you're going to eggs and onions and garlic etc.. in your burgers, you should just make meatloaf" So, I'm a purist.