BLT Turkey Burgers

Another turkey burger recipe that I was able to use with my lovely grill. These were very tasty, but really, you add bacon and basil mayo as toppings, so how could they be bad, right?

My mom was over for dinner and helped me figure out why it was taking forever to cook anything on the grill. I'm apparently jumping the charcoal gun a bit. I don't really mind babysitting the grill because it produces such delicious food, but I'm happy to know that things will be a tiny bit speedier if I just let the charcoal heat up a bit more before putting the food on. I can't wait to try another grilling recipe soon!

Oh, the only thing I did different in this recipe was use turkey instead of chicken. And that was only because I couldn't find ground chicken at Target the day I went grocery shopping. I don't think it made a huge difference.

BLT Turkey Burgers
A variation on this recipe from Sunset



1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon each fresh lemon juice and finely shredded lemon zest
4 onion kaiser rolls, split
8 strips bacon (about 8 ounces), cooked until crisp
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
4 leaves romaine lettuce

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for medium heat (350°F to 450°F; you can hold your hand 5 inches above cooking grate only 5 to 7 seconds).

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, gently mix turkey, cheeses, garlic, salt, and pepper. Form into 4 burgers about 3/4-inch thick, making a slight depression in center of each patty (this helps keep burgers flat as they cook). Put on a plate, cover, and refrigerate until ready to grill.

In a blender, whirl mayonnaise, basil, lemon juice, and lemon zest together and refrigerate until ready to use. With a silicone brush or oiled paper towels, lightly oil cooking grate.

Grill burgers, covered, turning once, until browned and no longer pink inside (cut to test), 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer burgers to a clean plate and place buns, cut sides down, on grill until lightly browned, 30 seconds.

Spread toasted sides of buns with basil mayonnaise. Set a turkey patty on each bun bottom and top each with 2 strips bacon, a tomato slice, and a lettuce leaf. Cover with bun top.