Turkey Burgers

By Martha Rose Shulman

• Yield 4 burgers
• Time 30 minutes

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Turkey burgers are much leaner than hamburgers, but they can be dry and dull. Moisten them by adding ketchup and a bit of grated onion to the ground turkey — or mayonnaise and a bit of mustard. The idea is to emphasize condiments, and keep the turkey moist.

Ingredients

For the burgers:

• ½ medium onion
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 4 hamburger buns, preferably whole wheat
• 1 tablespoon canola oil, or use pan spray

For serving:

• Sliced tomato
• Sliced onion
• Iceberg lettuce
• Pickles
• Sliced red pepper
• Ketchup and mustard

 

Ingredient Substitution Guide

 

Preparation

1. Grate the onion on the fine holes of a grater. You should have about two tablespoons of grated onion (and a lot of juice, which you can discard). Place in a bowl with the ground turkey, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt and pepper. Using a fork, mix together well. Shape into four patties — the mixture will be quite moist — and press the patties into ½-inch thick rounds.
2. Heat the canola oil in a nonstick griddle or large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. (Alternately, spray the griddle or pan with pan spray.) When you can feel the heat while holding your hand just above griddle or pan, cook the patties for five minutes on each side. Serve on buns, with the condiments of your choice.