Saige's Journal: Food! - Turkey Burgers with Good Stuff

As one of the things I've done in my diet is cut beef to a minimum, with the intentions of eliminating it altogether, I'm finding ways to continue to enjoy various foods without it. At home, I always use ground turkey in place of ground beef, and I can honestly say that I don't notice anything missing.

I have come across this recipe for improving turkey burgers that has pretty much guaranteed I'll never make them plain again. I suppose you could make it with beef if you wanted to, though there's no need - the ground turkey is healthier, and there's no shortage of taste in this at all.

Turkey Burgers with Garlic and Cilantro

1 lb ground turkey
3-4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup minced cilantro (coriander leaves)
2 tbsp soy sauce

As far as ingredients go, I would advise people not to use the leanest ground turkey - it doesn't hold together as well, and the taste isn't as good for these purposes. And do not use garlic from a jar - it is bitter, and this is a recipe you will definitely notice it. Use the fresh stuff, it is worth it.

Making this is simple. Mince the garlic and cilantro finely, and add to a bowl with the turkey. Add in the soy sauce, mix everything together well, and form into 4 patties. Grill or broil, and enjoy.

Monterey Jack cheese goes really well with the flavors of the burger, so I would recommend that as the cheese of first choice. And while I love putting (my homemade) salsa on regular turkey burgers, it doesn't do much here.

Yes, nothing fancy, but I so felt this was worth sharing. Let me know if you try and enjoy these!

A couple of questions...

[johndiii]

For mincing garlic, do you use a garlic press, or just a knife to chop it finely? I tend to prefer the latter, but the press gets the juice out of the clove better. What's your opinion?

Also, have you ever thought of adding some ginger to this recipe? Give it a more Asian flavor, maybe. I'd use fresh, probably a tablespoon-equivalent (grated), or maybe some ginger juice (bottle from Williams Sonoma, but it isn't as good as fresh). FWIW, I'm an inverterate recipe-tinkerer (which my wife hates).

Re:A couple of questions...

[Saige]

For this recipe, I just use a knife and chop it finely. The little bits of garlic in the patties with the nice garlic bite still to them works better. Pressing the garlic would probably distribute the flavor more evenly throughout the burgers, but might also allow it to weaken some through cooking.

In general, I find myself not using my garlic press all that often. About the only time I have lately is when making chili - mince up a few cloves, and press a couple into it. I'm not sure how much of a diffe