Friday, August 29, 2008

Salsa Verde Turkey Burgers with Creamy Avocado Sauce and Green Tomatoes

When I first decided to have a food blog, I posted a few of my original recipes, right off the bat, before even sharing my blog with a single soul. Was it folly? Should I have saved the old favorites for the 6000 of you that were visiting Prudence Pennywise last week? In fact, it was a reader that really got me thinking about this to-die-for burger for Labor Day. Kevin, of Closet Cooking, tossed a few on his grill, and took some pictures that look better than the pros. See for yourself.
My burger in Rachael Ray magazine...
My burger on Kevin's blog....

If you're wondering why my burger was in the RR mag, I entered it in the 2007 Rachael Ray Burger Bash contest and surprisingly won, which meant a chance to make it on the RR show, a trip to NY for two, and a burger-cooking stint at the South Beach Food Festival. That's me with perky little Rachael Ray, advertising a blog project that I did for her website over the holidays.So, it's not that you need this kind of testimonial to try this burger, but I think this burger has an interesting, serendipitous history and I'm convinced that it will go over big at your Labor Day bash. A word of caution: They are very very messy to put together, so go a little lighter on the salsa verde. Honestly, the messier the juicier, so keep that in mind.

Money Saving Tips: If you have any unripe green tomatoes on the vines, they'll be perfect here, but red are equally delicious. Use ground chicken in place of the turkey, or even ground beef works well. This is a great way to stretch the avocado flavor, so you'll only need to buy one. Cilantro is my favorite here, but if it's too pricey, leave it out and use lettuce leaves for crunch.

Salsa Verde Turkey Burgers

Estimated Cost: $6.50 for four

1 avocado, halved and pitted

1/2 cup mayonnaise or whole milk yogurt or sour cream

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 pound ground turkey thigh meat

1 egg

1/4 to 1/2 cup salsa verde- start with less and see if you can handle the mixture

4 slices pepper Jack cheese (about 4 ounces)

4 kaiser rolls, split

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

8 slices green tomato, (red tomatoes work well also)

1. Scoop 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, (egg, if using) and salsa. Divide the mixture to form 4 patties.3. In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook the patties for 4 minutes on one side. Flip and top each with a slice of cheese; cover and cook for 4 minutes more. 4. Spread the avocado aioli on the bottom roll. and cover with 1/4 cup cilantro. Top with a patty and 2 tomato slices; set the roll tops into place.

Coming this Weekend: Black Bean and Brown Rice Southwest Veggie Patties

45 comments:

Marie Rayner said...

Erin I am seriously impressed. I had no idea! Not only do these burgers sound and look quite fabulous, but their creator is quite a talented and special lady to boot! Ohh, and getting to rub elbows with RR. That must have been a lot of fun!

Deb in Hawaii said...

You are amazing--no doubt about it! The burger looks delicious--no wonder you won!

Clumbsy Cookie said...

Oh dear! I didn't know you were famous!!!! I'm not surprised, that burger is just great! And that's so cool what you did on RR site too!

Beth (jamandcream) said...

I want it now. Don't often make turkey burgers but since the meat is so cheap will have to start giving it a go. I love avacado - but hubby doesn't - perhaps I'll just sneak it in and see if he notices??

Eleganza Strings/ The DeLadurantey Family said...

Great looking burgers! But tomorrows sound even more interesting!

Aggie said...

Very cool Erin!! I can't get enough of salsa verde, I'm addicted to the stuff, I'm going to love these.

Mary Ann said...

Like I really need a reason to love you any more or your recipes. But, I have to say I feel proud of myself for figuring out that was your burger recipe before you told all of us. Anyway, back to the burger, it looks yummy! And with ground turkey, I am sure it tastes great! I like the amateur photo better. You are amazing. Can't wait to see the black bean burger!

Unknown said...

Congrats on the burger winning, It looks delicious I can only imagine how wonderful it must taste :) How awesome you got to meet RR :)

Marjie said...

Ah, so we have a celebrity in our midst! That's a fine looking burger; I did see that on Kevin's blog last week!

Sharon said...

Wow, look at you! You're burgers are famous....and so are you :) They look delicious and I'm so tempted to make them this weekend. Can't say my pictures will be anything close to Kevin's or the magazine picture, though!

Sara said...

Wow...the RR show!?! I already knew that you were an incredible cook, but now it is official! These burgers look so scrumptious! Thanks for sharing your talent with the rest of us!

Kirsten said...

Wow, way to go for winning the RR burger contest. That burger would be a hit at my house!

La Bella Cooks said...

Creamy avocado sauce? I am sold (and starving!) Looks absolutely delicious.

Kana said...

Wow - congrats!!!That burger deserves to be in the RR rag!!!!

Anonymous said...

Prudy,
This looks delicious! I remember watching you on Rachel Ray when you made this! I recorded it and still have the DVD! You were charming, as always! Thanks for sharing!

Meryl said...

I'm so glad you posted these--they look awesome!

vanillasugarblog said...

:::snapping photos::::
You're a celebrity now!
You have a great talent my dear.
As always, they look amazing.

Nickki said...

Wow! I knew you were incredibly talanted and this just confirms it! I'd love to see the video of you and Rachel in the kitchen!

The Blonde Duck said...

You're so cute! You're a culinary celebrity! And you've been on TV! I can say I know a real celebrity! (cue song by Brad Paisley.)

Maria said...

I always enjoy your recipes! Have a great labor day weekend!

Birdie said...

I love the Avocado Sauce on these burgers. It is soooo good!

Anonymous said...

Oh wow! That's totally awesome. I can see why this burger won. It has some of my favorite components...which I may have mentioned before - avocado & cilantro. :-)

Anonymous said...

Just added everything to my shopping list! Thanks for the inspiration!

Anonymous said...

I made these about a month ago (except I used ground chicken) and The Husband LOVED them. He's been asking me to make them again since. Maybe this weekend, but I'm really craving a good old fashioned cheeseburger since you wrote about them the other day.
~Cat

Natalie Que said...

Wow Prudy, I had no idea you were so big-time! I also had no idea you were so CUTE! -With your little Prudy icon I thought you probably must be covering up a massive cookie addiction or adult acne!

This burger looks amazing, no wonder you won! How exciting!

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

I have made your burger and it was delicious!

Esi said...

Congrats on your success with this burger, it sounds really great!

Leslie said...

Erin..that is soooo awesome. So I know a famous person!! Hmmm,can I have your autograph???LOL That is sooo awesome. And thank you soooo much for such a kind comment on my whole Blog Fight issue! What a mess that is..and I am still a mess about it! Oh well

Katie said...

Congrats! That is so cool! I have always wondered what TV foodies are like in real life. Was she nice?

Prudy said...

Katie:
She's nice but also incredibly busy and much sharper and smarter then she comes off on camera. I'd say she's a shrewd businesswoman with a good ethic.

gigi said...

Hey you, I've been trying to get back to this comment all day. It's been a long one. Harry had a DR. Appt. and I had the girls all day, then a little company and now Harry is running a fever :(
I'm a wreck. We both had a blessing from our HT's. I guess we could use lots of prayers. Hope your family situation is going better.

You are just full of surprises! That's just to neat that you are famous for your burger! Along with many other things I'm sure. It looks wonderful!
We use to watch RR every day and when my 7 year old niece told my new daughter in law that she should use EVOO, we were all shocked and the DIL was clueless as to what it was. Funny, she still laughs about it.

Good luck with your sewing and have a great holiday weekend!

Lori said...

Wow Congratulations! I am so impressed. You look so cute standing next to RR. I HAVE GOT TO try these burgers. I am thoroughly convinced.

Anonymous said...

You've hit the big time girl! Wow - congrats!
That burger looks amazing.

RecipeGirl said...

Terrific burger recipe! No wonder it's so popular. How exciting to be on the RR show. You must have been thrilled to have been chosen!

It's so much fun when you see that other people have been inspired to make your recipes, isn't it?

Venessa said...

I made it for my family and beef loving step dad and everyone was amazed at how delicious it was. The best turkey burger I've ever had...may have to make them for labor day.

Anonymous said...

wow. I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy!

Jaime said...

wow those look so good! so cool you got to meet rachael ray, even if i do find her annoying ;)

JJ said...

Just made these to RAVE reviews! Thanks for helping me look like a rockstar!

grace said...

i had no idea you were the source of this burger when i saw it on kevin's blog, or that it made you famous! it's a particularly stupendous burger--perhaps my favorite combination of flavors to date. a big ol' pat on the back for you. :)

Thinking About Food said...

Wow, that is so cool, making delicious food AND getting kudos for it!!!! Well done!

Nikki said...

Made these for the family on Labor Day and they were wonderful. My husband and brother in law have already requested them again. I do have a question though....the meat was really wet (too much liquid) and I didn't add all of the verde salsa. Have you ever had that problem? Any suggestions? We also made the hamburger buns and they were delicious. Keep up the good work!!

Tai Christensen said...

I know you posted this recipe a while ago, but I made it for dinner last night and words cannot describe how much I enjoyed eating every single bite!!! Truely delicious!!!! My husband, who does not care for turkey burgers at all, even had a 2nd one!!! Thank you for this mouth watering recipe!!!!

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