Turkey, Apple, and Basil Sausage Burgers

Basil, Apple, Sweet Onion and Spices Compliment Meat

Recipe adapted from Smart Cooking the Costco Way

Happy 2015! During the final weeks of 2014 we enjoyed unseasonably warm weather in California. Our garden basil continued to produce strongly flavored if somewhat peaked-looking leaves. Right before the first cold snap, I harvested the remaining leaves and wanted to use them in a seasonal recipe for an oddly warm December. I found this recipe for mini-burgers in a book left over from our library’s book sale, which I purchased for just a buck. Right now you can purchase this cookbook, which has a surprising number of intriguing recipes, for $.01 (ten times less than I paid) at Amazon. I didn’t need another cookbook, but finding this wonderfully unusual combination of basil and sweet apple in a deliciously spiced burger was well worth my impulse buy.

Delicious with Mini-Butternut and Salad

This recipe is straightforward and needs no details explained, except to be sure to use sweet apples instead of tart. The only adaptation that I made was to substitute ground turkey for ground chicken. You could also try it with ground beef or pork. Note that burgers can be refrigerated or frozen either before or after cooking if you’d like to serve them at a later time. No catsup or condiments are needed; just serve with a green veggie or salad and potatoes or winter squash. Here’s to a happy and healthy new year.

Ingredients from a No-frost December

Turkey, Apple, and Basil Sausage Burgers

serves 6-8

1 tbsp. olive oil

1½ cups finely chopped, unpeeled Jonagold or other sweet apple (~3 – 4)

½ cup finely chopped sweet onion

2 small garlic cloves, minced (~¾ tsp.)

1 tsp. rubbed sage

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. coriander

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/3 – ½ cup finely chopped fresh basil

1½ lbs. ground turkey or chicken

Chop all vegetables and basil before beginning to cook. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Sauté chopped onions and apples in oil until nearly tender, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add minced garlic, cook for 30 seconds. Remove mixture from skillet to large bowl and let cool.

Stir together sage, salt, coriander, and pepper. Add this spice mixture and the basil to the apple mixture. Add the ground turkey to apple mixture. Work in with hands (you might want to wear latex gloves) just until combined: do not overwork.

With damp hands or gloves form into sixteen (16) ½-inch thick mini-burgers. (You may refrigerate or freeze the burgers now and cook them later.)

Heat a nonstick skillet or electric frying pan over medium heat (350 degrees F.). Cook burgers for 3 - 4 minutes. Flip the burgers. Cook another 3 – 4 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted near the center reads 165 degrees F. Drain on paper towels.

Cooked burgers may be frozen or refrigerated to serve later.

This Plus Ground Meat Equals Sausage

Sizzlin' Sausage Burgers