Spike Mendelsohn's White House Turkey Burgers
Ingredients:
2 lbs ground Turkey
1 Cup diced celery
1 Cup diced apples
1 Cup diced red onions
1 Tbsp mango salsa
Handful of chopped Parsley
Juice of 2 lemons, and fine zest from the lemons
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Neutral Cooking Oil
A dash of Cayenne
Salt & pepper to taste
Slices of Muenster cheese
Method:
Heat olive oil over medium heat, and toss in the red onions, turning them so they don't burn; "sweat" this for about 45 seconds, turning with wooden spoon so it doesn't burn
Add apples and celery and mango salsa, sprinkle in cayenne then salt & pepper, and season to taste. Keep stirring while everything binds; scrape the pan, and toss in chopped parsley at the last minute, then set aside to cool.
When ingredients are cool, combine with turkey meat. Squeeze in the lemon juice while combining, and add the lemon zest. Mash it all together well, so fruit and onions are well distributed throughout the meat. Spike suggests re-seasoning a little at this point, to taste. Make eight balls with the mixture, and refrigerate until ready to cook.
To cook burgers: In a deep skillet, heat a small amount of neutral cooking oil on medium heat, almost to the smoking point. Put in four burger balls to cook at a time, and flatten down with a spatula. Cook for 3 minutes and flip, and cook an additional 3 minutes on the other side. In the last 30 seconds of cooking, pop Muenster cheese slices on burgers, and cover pan so it melts.
5. Serve on toasted Multi-grain buns, with lettuce and tomato slices, and top with Spike's Gucamole (recipe below).
Spike's Guacamole
Ingredients:
3 Avocados
1 Cup ripped cilantro
2 Tblsp chopped red onions
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt
Method:
1. Peel and pit avocados and crush with a whisk
2. Stir in lemon juice, onions, and cilantro
3. Add a couple of finely chopped chilies for heat, if you prefer
4. Salt to taste (lightly)
Serve on Turkey Burgers.
SWEET POTATO OVEN FRIES
Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes, washed, peeled, and cut lengthwise into 1/8 wedges (I cut mine thinner, depends on your own taste)
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, washed, dried, and chopped fine
Salt
Curried Yogurt Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup mayonnaise (full-fat is best, low-fat will work fine, non-fat will not!)
1/2 cup plain yogurt (again, full-fat yay! low-fat yes! non-fat NO!)
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
Sweet Potato Oven Fries:
Preheat oven to 475ยบ F. Line a half-sheet pan with foil and place in hot oven for at least 20 minutes to get hot.
Using clean hands, toss sweet potato wedges with extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper until all surfaces are coated evenly.
Remove hot sheet pan from oven, and arrange coated sweet potato wedges in a single layer. Place sheet pan back in the oven and roast for about 25-30 minutes. About half-way through roasting time, flip the wedges onto the other side so that they brown evenly. Sweet potato wedges are ready when all sides are evenly browned and slightly crispy on the outside.
While oven fries are hot, sprinkle with a few flakes of fleur de sel and the chopped cilantro. Transfer to a serving dish. (NOTE: I used a parchment paper cone for serving, which looked lovely if I do say so myself!)
Curried Yogurt Dipping Sauce:
1. In a work bowl, mix together mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, honey, and curry powder with a fork. Make sure there are no lumps and everything is incorporated evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper, transfer to a serving bowl, and serve alongside the sweet potato oven fries.
Yield: 2 servings of a healthy, wonderfully flavorful and colorful alternative to ordinary french fries
