green chile + cilantro turkey burgers

and the secrets to a GREAT CRUST

Hey there! On Tuesdays I share easy lunch recipes 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).

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ABOUT THESE BURGERS

I think a lot of people hear “turkey burger” and think “why bother?” They can be bland, dry, and just boring. But I really do love them and this time of year, as summer feels like it’s getting into full swing, we eat a lot of them.

I wish I was eating this right now.

Side note: I get asked a lot why I feature so many recipes with ground turkey rather than ground beef. It’s because my spouse Grace doesn’t love red meat, plus turkey doesn’t have as much of an environmental impact as beef (but that doesn’t mean it has no impact, which is why I try to approach all of the meat we consume with consideration).

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I used to pretty much always cook turkey burgers in the ‘smash burger’ style (remember these tacos??), but I recently came upon an article from 2019: “In Defense of Turkey Burgers” by Annie Petito in ATK.

It was delightful to find a fellow turkey burger lover and I learned a great tip on getting a wonderful crust on turkey burgers: start them in a cold pan and cook them covered.

Won’t they steam? you might ask? I sure did! But it works. While the underside slowly browns, the steam trapped by the lid helps the interior cook evenly. Plus covering the skillet means you won’t set off the smoke alarm/splatter grease everywhere.

So I decided to employ that technique with one of my favorite flavor combinations: roasted green chiles and fresh cilantro. Turkey is a bit of a blank slate and it welcomes big flavors like these. I add a few other things to guarantee great texture and cook them in butter for flavor and for maximum browning.

Look at that crust!!!

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WHAT PAID SUBSCRIBERS GET

The full recipe is below for paid subscribers (including as a PDF), plus notes:

• for my friends who despise cilantro

• for my friends who would prefer these to be SPICIER!!

• for my friends who don’t like chiles in any way, shape or form

• for my friends who prefer beef

• for my friends who are vegetarian and/or vegan

• for my friends who are gluten-free

• for my friends who are egg-free

• for my friends who are wondering what to serve these with

Want all of the above? Become a paid subscriber today! xooxoxox

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Green Chile + Cilantro Turkey Burgers

Makes 4 burgers