A few weeks back I happened to catch one of my good friend Ops reruns from last season - one I had missed - I know, how could that happen?!? I'm such a good student, I attend Oprah U every day while I'm in the kitchen slaving away preparing the mister's dinner. That day her show was all about some of her favorite food and let me tell you, when it comes to food, Ops knows of what she speaks! Forget about her patting herself on the back, the cars, the celebs, her best friend Gail and the no-underwear-wearing Dr. Oz...when Oprah says, "This is the best turkey burger in the world," it's time to shut up and eat!
The Donald, who had never eaten one of his Mar-a-Lago Burgers was standing next to Ops, his hair perfectly raked, he obediently took a bite with his tiny heart-shaped mouth and by golly, he liked it too! Trump and Oprah eating turkey burgers on TV...if only Dr. Phil, Tom Cruise and the sofa had been there I'm sure she would have won an Emmy! So the mister was getting turkey burgers for dinner...he's not a fan of turkey burgers...he likes REAL burgers...the kind he gets at McDonalds! But I knew, after looking over the ingredient list we would both like these...they are FULL of flavor, a bit spicy but sweet, too, from of all things, apples! And they've got a nice little tang to them thanks to Major Grey's Chutney, which is available in the jam/jelly section of most grocery stores.
Never, ever will I eat a bland, card-board-esque turkey burger again. These were SO good...so DANG good...and for those of you who pay attention to calories and such, they're good for you...5 Dangs all the way around!
Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers - Adapted From Jeff O'Neill via Oprah
(I cut the recipe in half and used less apples and more chutney, to see original recipe, click here )
1/8 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 lbs. ground turkey breast
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce (you could use regular Tabasco but the chipotle sauce will give it a nice smokey taste)
1/2 lemon, juiced and grated zest
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney, pureed
8 Hamburger buns
Optional for serving: Mayonnaise, Lettuce, Tomato, Additional Chutney
Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool. Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and
the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers (I made my burgers a bit smaller and ended up with 9 burgers...cooks bonus!)
Refrigerate for at LEAST 1 to 2 hours. (This is key - the turkey mixture is very moist and if you put on the grill right away they will just fall apart. Refrigerate until they are well chilled and then put on the grill, they will hold together and you will be doing your happy dance!)
Place on a preheated,
lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is
thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes. Serves 8.
"It's not knowing what to do, it's doing what you know." ~ Anthony Robbins
