Grilled Turkey Burgers with Monterey Jack and Smoky Aioli

This was an interesting adventure in grilling. I thought I had started the grill with enough time to finish cooking everything before having to go get Jonathan at the train station, but as the time got closer, it became obvious that the burgers were nowhere near done. So I had to leave, and I decided to leave them on the grill in the hopes that if I left the vent in the cover open, I would come home to relatively well-cooked turkey burgers.

Jonathan's train was late, which made for a stressful ride home. But in the end, it worked! They were a little more done than I probably would have had them be if I hadn't had to leave, but they tasted great. The smokiness of the aioli paired so beautifully with the charcoal flavor of the grill. I'm looking forward to doing this again... with a little less stress next time.

I didn't toast the seeds for the aioli because I didn't have cumin seeds on hand, so I just used the ground version of each spice. I also didn't feel like having chunks of garlic in the aioli, so I used garlic powder instead.

Grilled Turkey Burgers with Cheddar and Smoky Aioli
Courtesy of Bon Appétit



1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 pound ground dark-meat turkey
4 1/3 -inch-thick red onion slices
1 large or 2 small red bell peppers, quartered
4 slices white cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese
4 sesame-seed hamburger buns
Arugula
Pickle wedges
Corn chips

Toast cumin seeds and coriander seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until aromatic and slightly darker in color, shaking skillet often, about 1 1/2 minutes. Cool. Finely grind toasted seeds in spice grinder or in mortar with pestle. Whisk mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, smoked paprika, garlic, and ground spices in small bowl. Season aioli to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Aioli can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Place turkey in medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons aioli; mix gently. Using damp hands, divide turkey mixture into 4 equal portions, then form each into scant 3/4-inch thick patty, about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Using thumb, make small indentation in center of each burger. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Sprinkle burgers with salt and pepper. Brush onion slices and bell pepper pieces with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill onions and bell peppers until soft and charred, about 4 minutes per side.

Grill turkey burgers 5 minutes. Turn over; grill until almost cooked through, about 4 minutes. Top each burger with 1 cheese slice and grill until meat is cooked through and cheese melts, about 1 minute longer. Place 1 turkey burger on each of 4 bun bottoms. Arrange grilled red pepper pieces, then grilled red onion slices over. Top each with dollop of aioli and some arugula. Cover burgers with bun tops and serve with pickle wedges and corn chips.