Linda Gassenheimer is an award-winning author of several cookbooks, most recently, The 12-Week Diabetes Cookbook and The Flavors of the Florida Keys. Listen to her FoodNewsAndViewsPodcast on all major sites. She writes the syndicated newspaper column “Quick Fix.” DinnerInMinutes.com.
Get the best of Bottom Line delivered right to your in-box
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Every burger has its own personality—just like people,” Rachael Ray told Bottom Line/Personal’s food correspondent Linda Gassenheimer. Ray loves burgers—beef, turkey, fish, you name it—and features a “Burger of the Month” recipe in her magazine Every Day with Rachael Ray.
Ray advises flavoring the meat rather than piling on toppings after a burger is cooked. She often adds spices and herbs, such as curry powder for an Indian beef burger, saffron for a paella fish burger and paprika for a chicken goulash burger. “Use your imagination,” she says.
For picture-perfect burgers, Ray suggests making a divot in the center of the patty with your thumb before cooking to help prevent “burger bulge.”
Salsa Verde Turkey Burger with Avocado Aioli
Servings: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
For the avocado aioli
1 avocado, halved and pitted
½ cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt to taste
For the burger
1 pound ground turkey thigh meat
½ cup salsa verde
4 slices pepper jack cheese (about 4 ounces)
4 kaiser rolls, split
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
2 small green or red tomatoes, sliced into 8 slices
1. Make the avocado aioli by scooping the avocado flesh into a small bowl. Add the mayonnaise and garlic, and mash with a fork until well-combined but chunky. Season with salt and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey and salsa. Divide the mixture to form four patties.
3. Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the patties for four minutes on one side. Flip and top each with a slice of cheese. Cover and cook for four more minutes. (If you decide to grill the burgers, it also will take about four minutes a side.)
4. Spread the avocado aioli on the split side of each roll bottom, and cover with up to one-quarter cup cilantro. Top with a patty and two tomato slices. Set the roll tops in place.