Buffalo Turkey Burgers with Blue Cheese Sauce

By Skinnygirl85

Ingredients

• For the burgers:
• 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey breast
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
• For the blue cheese sauce:
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 1/2 cup blue cheese dressing (recommended: Ken’s Steakhouse Lite Chunky Blue Cheese)
• extra hot sauce for serving (optional)

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from canyoustayfordinner.com

Preparation

Step 1

To add moisture and bulk for a juicier, bigger burger, I added sautéed peppers and onions to the ground turkey before shaping the mixture into patties. I recommend cooking the peppers and onions rather than adding them raw because it brings out more of the rich, natural flavors in the veggies, but if you’re pressed for time or simply can’t bring yourself to dirty a skillet, you certainly don’t have to.

Another key ingredient is a bit of poultry seasoning. This blend of thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper, and nutmeg is incredibly versatile in its usability when it comes to poultry (find it in the spice aisle of any grocery store; I use McCormick brand), and I especially love it in these burgers because it very gently enhances the flavor of the meat. It’s subtle enough that you can’t quite pinpoint each herb, but fragrant enough that the burgers are memorable. I really wanted to stay away from the bland turkey trap that most lean white meat burgers fall into, and I think focusing on enhancing the natural flavors of the bird rather than trying to mimic a beef burger is what allowed me to do that.

The solution as of 12:24pm on Sunday, January 13, 2013: Mix equal parts blue cheese crumbles and blue cheese dressing, stir into a thick sauce, and spread atop your burger.

makes 4 burgers

Make the burgers: In a small skillet over medium heat, sauté onion and bell pepper for two minutes, until just beginning to soften. Add garlic, turn off the heat, and stir for 30 seconds. Remove to a small bowl and let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add the cooled onion/pepper mixture and use your hands to mix well.

Preheat your oven’s broiler. Place the patties on a lightly greased baking pan and broil for 4-5 minutes per side, until the burgers are no longer pink in their centers.

Make the blue cheese sauce: Stir blue cheese crumbles and dressing in a small bowl. Spread evenly over the top of each burger patty. Drizzle with additional hot sauce if desired.

Mix all ingredients together. Add water to thin out for a salad dressing. Makes a little more than 1/2 cup. Can easily be lightened up too!