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Friday, August 6, 2010

Goat Cheese Stuffed Turkey Burgers with Roasted Red Pepper Relish

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Ryan is the master turkey burger maker in our household. Occasionally I'll step up to the plate and give it a shot (like with the Thai Turkey Burgers), but I typically prefer watching him form and flavor the patties. Given a package of ground turkey, I'm confident in his abilities to throw a little of this and a little of that in until he's come up with a tasty product. But for this particular turkey burger, we had a hunch it was a recipe that didn't need to be tampered with and he followed the recipe accordingly.


It was a good call on our part--this recipe made a GREAT burger. You can't go wrong with goat cheese oozing out of the centers. Then again, let's be honest, I'd probably eat goat cheese between two cookies if the opportunity arose! The thyme and lemon added another unique element to these burgers, and whatever you do, don't skip out on the relish. I whipped it up the day before and it definitely jazzed up our burgers. We were able to serve these to my Aunt Becky, who was in St. Louis for a conference and had time to stop by our place for dinner. Thanks Aunt Becky for sharing this meal with us, we loved spending time with you!


Goat Cheese Stuffed Turkey Burgers with Roasted Red Pepper Relish
adapted from Erin's Food Files, originally from Bon Appetit July 1996


Ingredients:
Burgers-
-1.2 lb lean ground turkey
-6 tbsp breadcrumbs/oats (we used a combo)
-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
-2 tsp grated lemon peel
-2 tsp dried thyme
-1 1/8 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp ground black pepper
-5 tbsp soft fresh goat cheese

Relish-
-1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
-1 (14 oz) jar roasted sweet red peppers
-3/4 cup chopped onion
-3 tsp minced garlic
-2 1/4 tbsp cider vinegar
-1 1/2 tbsp sugar
-1/8 tsp dry mustard
-1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix turkey, oats, lemon juice, lemon peel, thyme, salt, and pepper. Divide into 5 equal portions. Split each portion in half and press to form two equal-sized patties. Place 1 tbsp goat cheese on top of one patty and top with the other patty. Press along the edges to seal and enclose cheese. Repeat with remaining 4 portions. (Can do this step up to four hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to grill.)
2. To make the relish, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain jar of red peppers, pat dry, and chop into small pieces. Add to skillet and saute for 2 minutes. Add chopped onions and garlic and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until onions are tender (approximately 5 minutes).
3. In a small bowl, dissolve sugar in cider. Stir mixture into the red pepper mixture. Add mustard and cayenne pepper. Season with salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has evaporated (about 6 minutes). Cool to room temperature. (Can make this 1 day ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate, bringing to room temperature before serving. Makes about 1 cup, which is plenty for the burgers.)
4. Heat grill to medium-high. Grill prepared burgers until cooked through, about 5 minutes each side. Place burgers on buns. Top with relish and serve.