Thanks, Mom--Favorite Turkey Burger

Favorite Turkey Burger
Everyday Food Great Food Fast Copyright 2007

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey, preferably 92 to 93 percent lean
1/2 cup finely grated Gruyere cheese
4 thinly sliced scallions
1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 garlic, minced
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil, for grill
4 hamburger buns
Sliced tomatoes, red or white onion, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and lettuce leaves, for serving

1. Heat grill to high. In a medium bowl, use a fork to gently combine ground turkey with cheese, scallions, breadcrumbs, mustard, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Gently form mixture into four 1-inch-thick patties. (I made 5 good-sized patties and I may not have even had 1 1/2 pounds of turkey.)

2. Lightly oil grill. Place patties on the hottest part of the grill; sear until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Move the patties to cooler part of the grill; continue grilling until cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes per side.
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My mom bought me this cookbook for Christmas. I don't know how, out of all the cookbooks out there, she not only bought me one I didn't have, but it's one that I wanted. I checked it out of the library some time ago and loved it but I never got a chance to cook from it.

These burgers are aptly named. They're certainly my favorite turkey burger now. They were so flavorful, without tasting like a meatloaf. I'm glad they were a success - the Gruyere was $14/lb but you don't need much. It is a very good cheese but $14/lb? I think you could probably substitute a less expensive Swiss cheese and still get a great burger. I usually skip over recipes with Gruyere due to the price but since I didn't need much for this, and we had eaten a lot of meals away from home due to the holidays, I splurged.

These were so good, last night I ate the leftover one that was supposed to be for my lunch today. I ate it cold, straight of the fridge, Nigella-style.

I used my Cuisinart Griller for these. I was a bit apprehensive because the Griller has no tilt which is great for many things but not when you're making anything that's going to give off some liquid or fat. I've seen online reviews saying that it can get messy but there was no disaster last night. I wouldn't make a real fatty burger on the Griller but these were fine.

I have to put in a pitch for my favorite Dijon mustard again. This recipe uses a lot so a good mustard probably makes a difference. I love Bookbinder's Stone Ground Dijon (no, they didn't pay me to say that. I wish!) I wasn't all that crazy about Dijon mustard until I discovered that one.

Blast From The Past: Russian-Style Chicken Cutlets from August 2006. Ground chicken was on sale cheap last night so I picked some up. I'm going to make these next week.

Question of the Day: Do you ever raid the fridge at night?