Grilled Middle Eastern Turkey Burgers with Yogurt Sauce

(KaylnKitchen.com)

If there's anyone reading this who just turned their nose up a bit at the mention of turkey burgers, stay with me here for a minute. While it's true that ground turkey can sometimes be a little ho-hum, these turkey burgers from Kalyn's Kitchen with finely chopped mint and parsley and seasoned with an interesting mix of paprika, cumin, coriander, and pepper flakes were moist and flavorful. For the Tzatziki Sauce visit KaylnsKitchen.com.

Cook Time:

Prep Time:

Total Time:

Servings: 5

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Pound ground turkey

1 Teaspoon finely minced garlic

1 1/2 Teaspoon salt

1/4 Cup finely chopped fresh mint

1/4 Cup finely chopped fresh parsley

2 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Teaspoon sweet paprika

1 1/2 Teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 Teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 Teaspoon Aleppo pepper

Preparation:

Remove ground turkey from the fridge and break into pieces in a bowl, then let it come to room temperature on the counter while you chop the herbs. Mix together the minced garlic and salt and sprinkle over the surface of the ground turkey. Chop mint and parsley and add to bowl, add the 2 T olive oil, then use your hands to gently mix the garlic, salt, chopped mint, chopped parsley, and olive oil into the meat. One at a time, measure specified amounts of sweet paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, and Aleppo pepper and sprinkle over the surface of the meat, then mix again with your hands, just enough to combine mixture and distribute spices. (Don't overmix.)

Put a piece of cling-wrap on a small cutting board and divide the meat into 4 or 6 same-sized balls, then flatten each ball into a patty and smooth the edges. Cover patties with another piece of cling-wrap if desired, and refrigerate 30 minutes or longer. (The recipe says refrigerate up to 4 hours, and next time I'd chill for at least an hour.)

Use a paper towel to wipe surface of grill with olive oil, then heat charcoal or gas grill to medium heat. (You can hold your hand over the grill for 3-4 seconds at that temperature.) When grill is hot, remove patties from the fridge and brush the top of each one with olive oil if desired. (You may not need to do this if your grill is well-seasoned.) Put oiled side down on grill grate and grill with lid closed. If you want criss-cross grill marks, check after about 4 minutes, and rotate patties. Cook about 5-6 minutes per side, or until temperature of patties reaches 165 F /75C when tested with an instant-read thermometer.

Burgers can be served plain, on a regular hamburger bun, or inside pita or flatbread like I did. I served my burgers with Tzatziki Sauce that had some added chopped mint and parsley.