Last week, when my kiddo and I met friends at our favorite burger place, I learned my low-fat turkey burger isn’t gluten-free. So, as you can imagine, I’ve had turkey burgers on my mind ever since.
The thing about turkey burgers that’s important to remember is there’s really not enough fat to hold the burger together. You need to incorporate the fat and condiments into the ground turkey meat before grilling. So instead of adding cheese and mustard and onions after the fact, add them first. As for the breadcrumbs required of my favorite recipe from an old Everyday Food cookbook, I grabbed some of the leftover gluten-free bread from my freezer, toasted it up and gave it a whirl in my mini food processor. All this in the time it took my husband to heat up the grill.
A note about gluten-free breadcrumbs: gluten-free bread, whether homemade or store-bought, is expensive, so I make a habit of saving the heels in a plastic zipped bag in the freezer. For this recipe, I popped out two heels, toasted them, let them cool while I assembled the other ingredients, then pulsed them in a mini food-processor until small crumbs formed. Don’t be afraid to let your food processor whirl away. Et voilà! Gluten-free breadcrumbs from leftovers.
Turkey burgers without the gluten. As Martha Stewart herself might say, “That’s a good thing.” Let’s eat!
- ½ cup finely grated Gruyere cheese
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup gluten-free breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1½ pounds ground turkey (93 percent lean)
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- Vegetable oil (for the grill)
- Heat up your grill to high heat.
- Meanwhile, add the cheese, scallions, breadcrumbs, mustard and garlic to a large bowl. Stir with your hands or a large fork. Add the turkey and gently combine. Season with salt and pepper.
- Divide the turkey into four portions and form each portion into a one-inch patty.
- Lightly oil the grill. Sear each burger on the hottest part of the grill; about 2-3 minutes a side. Move the burgers to a cooler part of your grill and continue grilling, about 5-7 minutes a side, until cooked through.
- Serve protein-style on iceberg lettuce or on gluten-free (or regular) hamburger buns.
- Suggested accompaniments include guacamole; slices of tomato, onion and pickles; ketchup, mustard and, of course, potato chips.
Mmmnnn! Now I am craving a turkey burger as this looks so good.