We have had our fair share of burgers already this summer. But the appeal of cooking and eating outdoors never gets old. There’s something so relaxed and casual about burgers, they just have to be picked up and eaten with your hands. I always make a quick burger sauce by combining ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard with finely diced red onion and gherkin. Slathering this on one side of the bun ensures even distribution of flavours. Each mouthful then has a little bit of that delicious multi-layered burger sauce.
While I usually opt for beef for my burgers, I do love pork or turkey too. There’s always a concern with turkey that the meat will be too dry. This recipe ensures that doesn’t happen by adding a dollop of Dijon mustard and an egg to bind.
Turkey takes on flavour really well, so adding plenty of gorgeous seasonal herbs brings great results. Additions like harissa, smoked paprika, crumbled chorizo, or garam masala can all be used too. Or add a splash of fish sauce, ginger, garlic and coriander for a gorgeous Thai-style burger. Turkey is a blank canvas when it comes to cooking and there’s so much potential to put your own stamp on this recipe.
I’ve used chives for their subtle allium onion flavour, along with thyme as it’s such a classic pairing. There’s some oregano in there too. A little rosemary can be added but it’s quite dominant. Tarragon gives a beautifully delicate aniseed taste, but, again, is quite distinctive so keep that in mind when adding your herbs.
I’ve used locally grown chioggia beets here that I bought through Neighbourfood in Cuskinny, Co Cork. I’m still amazed and delighted to be able to buy food that’s grown minutes from my home. The same producer also grew beautiful heritage mixed potatoes. The pretty purple and pink potatoes are delicious boiled or steamed and make a really stunning potato salad.
I’ve kept it simple with the slaw, using just olive oil and vinegar to dress it. With a pinch of salt and pepper, it doesn’t need much else. It’s a great recipe for kids to make themselves. You can coarsely grate the beets too. The raw beets are great with a little horseradish sauce and mayonnaise, or add a handful of fresh mint leaves and a squeeze of orange juice. The citrus really balances out the earthy beetroot.
Recipe: Turkey herb burgers with beetroot slaw
