After mentioning the mind blowing turkey burgers my roommate made yesterday, I got a few queries for the recipe. So I wrote said roommate and got the lowdown. Don’t say I never do anything for you:
1.25 pounds 93% lean ground turkey
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese (I used part-skim and it turned out fine)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oilCombine the turkey, cheese, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard in a medium bowl until blended. Divide into 4 portions. Lightly toss one portion from hand to hand to form a ball, then lightly flatten the ball with your fingertips into a 1-inch thick patty. Repeat with remaining portions
Heat a large, heavy skillet (preferably cast iron or stainless steel with an aluminum core) (i used a normal non-stick one with no problems) over medium high heat until very hot. Swirl the oil in the pan to coat the bottom. Add the burgers and cook over medium heat without moving them until the bottom of each is dark brown and crusted, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the burgers over; continue to cook until the bottom is light brown but not yet crusted, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Reduce the heat to low, position the cover slightly ajar on the pan to allow steam to escape, and continue to cook 8 to 10 minutes longer, flipping once if necessary to promote deep browning, or until the center is completely opaque yet still juicy or an instant-read thermometer inserted from the side of the burger into the center registers 160 degrees. Remove from the pan and serve immediately.
The recipe, it should be said, comes from the Cook’s Illustrated cookbook, which I recommend highly. The CI mindset is a fascinating thing in general — it’s like cooking as conducted by Dustin Hoffman’s character in Rainman. “I wanted to see if I could get a Tiramisu that was both creamy and refreshing, so I decided to make 46 of them.”
