Basil Turkey Burgers

I haven't posted a new recipe in a very long time. That's because I haven't tried making a new recipe in a very long time. I've been cooking most nights, but I've stuck to the old comfortable recipes. Warm weather makes me lazy, and I've earned a huge F for creativity this summer! This was a step in the right direction, and it was wonderful, so I'm going to share it.

Basil Turkey Burgers 

(makes 4 medium burgers)

1 package ground turkey (mine was 1.2 pounds)

Breadcrumbs

Basil (fresh and/or dried)

Milk

Mayo

Salt and pepper

Lettuce

Sliced tomato

Hamburger buns

Wash your hands and then get them all gross again by squashing the ground turkey in a bowl with a scoop of breadcrumbs (I used less than 1/4 cup) and a tablespoon or so of milk. Then wash your hands and chop up some basil - 8 to 10 fresh leaves should do it. Another option is to already have the basil chopped and ready before getting turkey juice on your hands. That's probably even better than the way I did it. 

Squirt some mayo (enough to spread on 4 burgers) into a bowl and toss in a tablespoon or so of basil, then mash it around. Cover it and stick it back in the fridge. Toss the rest of the basil in with the ground turkey. I decided it didn't look like enough, so I sprinkled in some ground basil too. More basil is almost always a good call. Add some salt and pepper and then get your squish back on, mixing everything up really well before forming four medium patties.

I cooked them in a pan on the stove with a little butter to keep them from sticking, but you could try grilling them. My mother-in-law, who gave me this recipe, recommended that I start out by putting foil on the grill, because the burgers are too soft to hold together and might fall through the grate. So, if you're grilling, start them on foil and them move them over to get some nice grill lines once they've set a little.

Spread the basil mayo on the buns, assemble burgers with lettuce and tomato, and YUM. They are so soft and delicious. And because they're really summery, I highly recommend getting some fresh local tomatoes to put on the burgers. I used locally-grown beefsteak tomatoes, in part because I was intrigued by the name "beefsteak" and wanted to know how they were different from regular old tomatoes. Turns out it just means that they're big. Fresh and local taste so much better than the other junk, so make an effort to find some - the tomatoes really pull the whole thing together.

Note to self: try this with mozzarella mixed into the burgers next time, call them Caprese Turkey Burgers, feel super fancy.

I promise someday I'll get a better camera and learn a few things about taking pictures of food, so this stuff can look as delicious as it actually is!