Name: Crispy California Turkey Burgers
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 pound ground turkey; 1 cup panko bread crumb; 2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese , shredded (1/2 cup); ¼ cup mayonnaise; ¼ teaspoon pepper; ½ teaspoon table salt; 2 teaspoons vegetable oil; 1/2 cup recipe , plus extra for serving; 4 hamburger buns , toasted if desired; 4 leaves Bibb or Boston lettuce; 1 tomato , cored and sliced thin; 1 ripe avocado , halved, pitted, and sliced 1/4 inch thick; ¼ cup alfalfa sprouts; ½ red onion , sliced thin

Why This Recipe Works

California has a reputation for embracing the latest health food crazes, and while we don’t usually reach for a burger when we’re watching our diet, it’s hard to deny that avocado and fresh sprouts make fine burger toppings. For a West Coast–style burger, we paired these toppings with turkey burgers. Mixing some Monterey Jack into the lean turkey meat helped the burgers stay moist during cooking, giving us patties with juicy pockets of fat to yield a melting interior texture; the cheese also crisped around the edges of the burger, creating a pleasantly crunchy crust. We found that adding panko and a little mayonnaise to the turkey mixture kept the burgers from becoming too dense. We loaded the cooked burgers with creamy avocado and tender alfalfa sprouts, and also included some crisp red onion and lettuce for even more freshness. To finish, we slathered some sweet-savory classic burger sauce over simple buns before topping them off.

Before You Begin

Be sure to use 93 percent lean ground turkey, not 99 percent fat-free ground turkey breast, or the burgers will be tough.

Instructions

Break ground turkey into small pieces in large bowl. Add panko, Monterey Jack, mayonnaise, and pepper and gently knead with hands until well combined. Divide turkey mixture into 4 equal portions, then gently shape each portion into ¾‑inch-thick patty. Using your fingertips, press center of each patty down until about ½ inch thick, creating slight divot.

Season patties with salt. Heat oil in 12‑inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Transfer patties to skillet, divot side up, and cook until well browned on first side, 4 to 6 minutes. Flip patties, reduce heat to medium-low, and continue to cook until browned on second side and meat registers 160 degrees, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer burgers to platter and let rest for 5 minutes.

Spread burger sauce over bun tops and arrange lettuce on bun bottoms. Serve burgers on buns, topped with tomato, avocado, alfalfa sprouts, and onion, passing extra burger sauce separately.