Easy Summer Dinner Idea: Turkey Burgers

As I mentioned yesterday, John handed in his Master's thesis and, being the kind girlfriend that I am, I made him a celebratory dinner.

Since summer is officially in it's late stage, I wanted to make the most of one of my favourite summer foods: hamburgers.

I put a healthier spin on things and opted for ground turkey instead of ground beef at the grocery store.

Someone had mentioned avocado to me in the last little while and it was stuck in my head. I figured avocado on a burger would also go better with turkey than with beef.

So it was settled.

I set up for dinner on the balcony.

The burgers turned out really tasty.

John opted for jalapeno havart on his instead of the slab of brie I added to mine.

I also made potato and sweet potato home fries to make it a burger and fries kind of meal.

To make the

Potato and Sweet Potato Home Fries:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Thinly slice 1 white potato and 1 sweet potato.
• Place in a baking dish and toss with about 2 tbsp olive oil. Add salt and pepper.
• Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour or until a fork easily pierces the potato wedges.
  

I also made a condiment-mixture to go with the fries. In a small bowl mix together 2 tbsp mayo, 2 tbsp BBQ sauce, and 1 tbsp guacamole (just blend together the leftover avocado with a few cherry tomatoes). Then dip away with those fries!

If you want to make the best turkey burger you'll ever have, here's what I did:

Jamie's Turkey Burger

1. In a bowl, mix 1 pkg ground turkey with 3 tbsp chopped chives, and 1 egg. Shape into patties, wrap in saran wrap and place back in the fridge.

2. In a pan over medium-low heat, fry 5 peices of bacon. When the bacon reaches your desired crispness, remove from it from the pan and blot with paper towel.

3. Using the fat rendered from the bacon, place the turkey patties in the pan and cook over medium heat until the turkey is cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes per side.

4. On one half of the hamburger buns spread 1 tbsp of grainy mustard and on the other half spread 1/2 tbsp of mayo. Place a slice of jalapeno havarti or brie on the mustard half. Layer 1-2 slices of bacon on top of the cheese. Layer thinly sliced avocado over the bacon. Place the turkey burger on top of the avocado and top with the mayo-ed bun. Press down gently to keep the burger together.

5. Serve and enjoy! If you transfer the turkey straight from the pan to the burger the cheese should start to melt just enough to make it perfectly soft.

I also mentioned that I bought a nice(r) bottle of wine yesterday.

Being someone who usually prefers white to red, I found I really liked this red:

Folie a Deux's Menage a Trois.

It's a clever name. This California red wine is a "delightful blend based on three varietals" of grapes: zinfandel, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon.
It has a bit of a sweeter taste than most of the reds I've had and I like sweeter wines.
And for around $17 it's not a bad price either.

I've been searching and narrowing down my selection for September's Good Things.
Can't believe how fast August has flown by....
Love this song (Summer's End) by the Foo Fighters and I always associate it with this time of year.
Enjoy