Big! Turkey Smash Burger Tacos
also: I love this cheap griddle
Hi! If you’re new here, on Tuesdays I devote my newsletter to “I Love Lunch” and include an easy lunch recipe for paid subscribers. To me, lunch recipes are especially simple to make and simple to clean-up. Of course you can make the recipe for any mealtime that you’d like! I always include a number of helpful notes for paid subscribers (i.e. ways to make vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free versions of the recipe and other fun notes/ideas).
While I love eating pancakes, I often delegate pancake-making to Grace because they are more patient than I am. I always have the heat too high so the pancakes get very well-done on the outside before getting cooked all the way through. And my general clumsiness as a person extends to the kitchen, meaning that even though I have been cooking for decades, I still somehow cannot flip one pancake in a skillet without bumping into another.
So a couple of months ago when I was out running errands and saw this griddle on sale for a mere $15, I couldn’t resist trying it out. I found that making a bunch of pancakes at once on it felt incredibly easy and the temperature was simple to regulate so the pancakes were cooked perfectly. And there was so much room to flip them. The first time I used it, I kept saying “this is the best $15 I’ve ever spent!”
And now that we own an electric griddle, I’ve been trying to use it for more than just pancakes.
Enter today’s lunch recipe which benefits from the griddle’s large surface area: turkey smash burger tacos which I am calling BIG! because I make each one with half a pound of ground turkey on a large flour tortilla. Could you use less meat and make more burgers? Of course! Could you make smaller ones? Of course!
You absolutely DO NOT NEED AN ELECTRIC GRIDDLE to make these. You can just use a skillet or an outdoor grill. Like I’ve mentioned when I’ve talked to you about other gadgets I love (like my air fryer), these sorts tools are totally optional. I like embracing them because cooking every single day is a lot of labor and new devices can sometimes make that relentless labor feel a little easier and even fun. But do you need them? Absolutely not.* A skillet, a big pot, and a sheet pan will allow you to cook just about everything.
*I am realizing as I type this that this is probably how so many people feel about shoes? I pretty much wear the same sneakers every single day so I wouldn’t really know, but I do love an analogy.
QUICK NOTE! TWO CLASSES THIS WEEK!
Join me Friday for a A QUICK + SPECIAL VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER
Friday Feb. 14, 6p - 7p EST / sliding scale starting at $25
We'll be making COSMOS (inc. a non-alcoholic option) and STEAK DIANE (chicken + veg option offered!)
Benefitting CORE, a humanitarian organization that brings immediate relief and recovery to underserved communities across the globe, including right now to people impacted by the LA fires.
And/or on Sunday for JULIA’S CAESAR!
Sunday Feb. 16, 2p - 3:30p EST / sliding scale starting at $40
A celebration of Caesar! We will be making CLASSIC CAESAR SALAD WITH CRUNCHY CROUTONS, VEGAN KALE CAESAR, AND CAESAR SPAGHETTI.
Benefitting God’s Love We Deliver, which cooks and home-delivers nutritious, medically tailored meals for people too sick to shop or cook for themselves.
The full recipe is below for paid subscribers (inc. as a PDF) plus notes if you are:
Prefer beef?
Vegetarian?
Vegan?
Gluten-free?
Want these to have more of a kick?
Seeking more topping ideas?
Don’t have a griddle?
Big! Turkey Smash Burger Tacos
Makes two big! smash burger tacos
1 pound ground turkey (preferably dark meat)
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