Turkey Burger Patty Melts

 

Turkey Burger Patty Melts

I don't know who invented the TV on the workout machines, but that person(s?) is a pure genius. I have heard MANY people argue the contrary, saying that TVs and books are for lazy people who don't want to work out hard enough. But, au contraire mon ami! Well, at least it is on the contrary for me at least. Honestly, watching good ol' Paula Deen or Guy Fieri on the TV at the gym makes me want to work out even harder. I see what these guys are making on their cooking shows, and I know that if I work out hard enough at the gym, I can go home and enjoy some of it for myself as well. 

A couple years ago, I was watching Guy Fieri's show at the gym, and he was making these amazing looking ground chicken burgers. I found that ground chicken was REALLY hard to find, so I settled with ground turkey, which is much easier to find. Anyways, recently I wanted to make them again, and remembered that they were fairly healthy (for a burger...unless your gorge yourself on cheese and buns). I went online to try to find the recipe again, but found a turkey burger patty melt that looked really good instead. Caramelized onion, in my book, is by far one of the tastiest things ever to put in a burger. ALSO, onions sauteing in butter is probably one of the best smells I have ever smelt in my entire life. And take it from me, someone who used to ONLY eat ham and cheese sandwiches, bean and cheese burritos, and only very simple vegetables, I used to hate onions. OK, well that was like up until I was 12 years old, but I had a crazy great uncle that told me people in Europe were dropping like flies in the streets because they were eating street food. So, it's safe to say, I trusted no one.

You can find Guy Fieri's original recipe here. I will post how I did my recipe on the blog, just so that you can follow my process through my pictures. I didn't use buns, and I only used one big slice of sourdough bread to eat my sandwich open-faced. But eat how you like. This recipe is really cheap, really easy, and really takes no time at all. So, if ya feelin lazy, hit up the QueensofBay and you'll know what to do.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
Sourdough bread
4 slices provolone cheese (or whatever, your choice of cheese)


Directions:

1. In a large bowl, add the panko, milk, egg, thyme and salt and pepper. Combine and let sit for a few minutes. Add in the turkey and combine well. Form into patties (same size as the bread if you want) 2. Place on a parchment paper lined sheet pan and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes 

3. While burgers are resting, in a large saute pan, heat 1/4 cup of the butter and 1 Tablespoon canola oil. Add onions and saute 15 to 20 minutes or until nicely caramelized. About five minutes before the onions are done, add the red bell peppers. Cook, set aside, but keep warm

4. Heat a griddle or cast iron skillet to medium high heat, add 1 Tablespoon canola oil and spread evenly. Add in the turkey burgers and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side
5. Pile with onions, then place the provolone on top, and cover pan for roughly 2 minutes to allow the cheese to lock the onions in