What do you think of turkey burgers? I know what I do; I say no thanks and I’ll pass. They are most often dry, bland and flavorless. But, it’s a challenge. How to make a moist, flavorful turkey burger…that is the question. In the past I have mixed the turkey with ground chuck or sausage, both higher in fat. That works ok. But this time, I wanted something that was mostly turkey. Then I got an idea; lately there have been quite a few warm avocado recipes on-line. Search and you will find baked avocados wrapped in bacon, avocados baked with an egg in the cavity, and grilled half avocados with lemon (which is surprisingly yummy) to mention a few. And avocado is often served on top of a burger; what about mixing it in with the meat? The avocado would add some additional healthy fat and creaminess to the burger.

In addition to moistness, I wanted flavor. Ground turkey is lacking in the umami factor which makes food savory. Enter chopped prosciutto and soy sauce, both high in umami; plus a wee bit of grated aged sharp cheddar. Now we were getting somewhere! And, the burgers were delicious. So good that they were gone before I could finish photographing them.

Best Every Turkey Burgers (serves 4)

• 1 ½ lb. ground dark meat turkey
• ¼ cup chopped prosciutto
• ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 medium avocado, diced
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Pinch Calabrian chopped hot peppers or chili flakes
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Turkey Burgers with avocado

1. Gently mix the first 7 ingredients listed above (everything but the olive oil) and form into 4 burgers. This will probably make 6 burgers for those with smaller appetites.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet.
3. Carefully transfer the burgers to the hot pan, the mix if fairly loose but will firm up a bit once cooked.
4. Fry the burgers about 4 minutes to a side (or grill on a BBQ) until no longer pink in the middle.

Turkey Burgers

Serve on toasted buns or with a salad and vegetables. I served them with roast asparagus, arugula salad, and oven baked potato wedges. There were no leftovers.