Turkey mince is not an ingredient that I cook with often, no reason really except that turkey is something I associate with Christmas. I have just never really thought to cook it at any other time…….until now. I remember the stuffing I made at christmas time involved sage and pancetta which are a match made in heaven and I had a little idea that they would go brilliantly with turkey……in a burger! Here is the finished product which turned out rather well, if I do say so myself!
Prep time: 15 Minutes Cooking time: 20 Minutes $ Low Budget
Serves 4
Olive oil for the BBQ
500gm of turkey mince
8 slices of pancetta
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely diced
2 tbs of finely chopped, fresh sage
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tbs of fruit chutney or plum sauce (any kind will do, it just helps to balance out the flavours)
1 egg
1 cup of breadcrumbs
Sea salt and cracked pepper
4 x crusty white rolls, warmed in the oven
4 tbs of sour cream
4 tbs of cranberry sauce
1 avocado halved, peeled and sliced
1 bag of baby rocket leaves
1 small red onion, sliced into rounds
In a large mixing bowl combine the turkey mince, garlic, onion, sage, lemon rind, lemon juice, chutney, egg and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper and get your hands in there and squish the mixture between your fingers to really combine all the ingredients well. Rinse your hands and with damp hands, roll the mixture into 4 large burger patties about 2 inches thick and about 6 cm in diameter.
Heat a BBQ plate to a medium heat and drizzle with a little olive oil. Cook the burger patties for approximately 6 minutes either side. Move the patties off to the side to keep warm and turn the heat up on the plate. Barbecue the pancetta for approximately 2 minutes either side or until golden and almost crispy.
To assemble the burger, cut the warm rolls in half and dollop a tablespoon of sour cream on the bottom. Spread it around and then top with the rocket leaves, avocado, onion rings, turkey patty and 2 slices of pancetta. Spread a tablespoon of cranberry sauce on the top half of the bun and pop it on top of the pancetta. Do not hesitate to tuck in to this glorious combination of flavours and they are even more brilliant accompanied by spiced sweet potato wedges*!
* Cut 2 large sweet potatoes into thick cut chips and toss with 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1 tbs of paprika, 1 tsp of sea salt and a good whack of cracked pepper. Spread onto a lined baking tray and bake in a preheated 200°C oven for 30 minutes or until golden and crispy.