Tasty Turkey Burgers

I've had lots of turkey burgers in my life. Most of them were dry and uninteresting. But my brother Bill introduced me to DiPaola ground turkey which is sold in Grand Army Plaza farmer's market on Saturdays. I bought some and located a 2003 recipe from Epicurious that seemed to have enough add-ins to insure a flavorful burger. The changes I made were based on ingredients not available at home at the time. I'm sticking with my pared down version. Thanks Bill, these were delicious.

2 medium yellow onions

1 clove garlic

2 tbl. olive oil and another 2 tbl olive oil

1 1/3 pounds ground turkey breast (either combination of dark and white or dark only)

3 tbl. dried bread crumbs, preferably panko

2 tbl. barbecue sauce

3 tbl. quick-cooking or old fashioned oats (not instant)

1 tsp. dried oregano

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Peel the onions and cut into 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch pieces. Peel the garlic and chop finely. Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for about 10 minutes, or until onions start to brown. Add water, 1 tbl. at a time to prevent burning. Remove from the heat, transfer to a large bowl, and let cool for 10 minutes.

To the same bowl, add the turkey, bread crumbs, barbecue sauce, oats, oregano and salt and pepper. Mix well and shape into 9 burgers.

In a large skillet or 2 burner griddle, add the remaining 2 tbl. olive oil. Cook the burgers over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until browned and crispy. Flip the burgers carefully and cook for 5 minutes longer, or until golden brown and the interior is no longer pink.

Yield 9 burgers

Notes: I omitted dried basil, which I don't believe adds to the flavor and toasted wheat germ, which I didn't have. Instead of barbecue sauce I used 1 tbl. ketchup and 1 tbl. prepared horseradish. The burgers had a crunchy crust and looked very appealing. They were flavorful with a slightly spicy kick. I served the dish with skillet browned potatoes and sauteed zucchini. This would probably make a lovely meatloaf. Follow instructions in Elaine's recipe for turkey meatloaf posted on 3/17/09.