Name: Brie-Stuffed Turkey Burgers with Red Pepper Relish
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients: 4 ounces Brie cheese, rind removed, cut into 1/2‑inch pieces; 1½ pounds ground turkey; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled; 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce; ¼ teaspoon pepper; ½ teaspoon table salt; 2 teaspoons vegetable oil; 4 hamburger bun , toasted if desired; ½ head frisée lettuce (3 ounces), leaves separated; 1/2 cup recipe

Why This Recipe Works

There isn’t a more indulgent and comforting bistro starter than baked Brie with a sweet conserve, and we thought this combination of flavors and textures could make for a unique and truly decadent stuffed turkey burger. But we soon learned that there were several challenges to pulling off such a feat: namely, getting the cheese to melt enough, but not too much, and distributing it evenly throughout the burger. We first tried simply packing some brie into our turkey patty and found that it melted very quickly, oozing out of the not-yet-cooked patties and leaving us with an empty cavern of departed cheese. Brie melts at around 130 degrees Fahrenheit, but the turkey patties would need to reach 160 degrees before they were fully cooked through. We tried wrapping the cheese in two portions of the burger mixture and refrigerating the patties until the cheese center was fully chilled. This worked perfectly, delaying the cheese’s melting long enough for the burgers to cook through. For the sweet-spicy component, we whipped up a red pepper relish.

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

Divide Brie into four equal portions; using hands, mash each portion together into rough 2‑inch disk.

Break ground turkey into small pieces in large bowl. Add melted butter, Worcestershire, and pepper and gently knead with hands until well combined. Divide turkey mixture into 8 equal portions. Encase each disk of cheese with one portion of turkey mixture to form mini burger patty. Mold second portion of turkey around each mini patty and seal edges to form ball. Flatten ball to form ¾‑inch-thick patty. Cover and refrigerate patties for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Season patties with salt. Heat oil in 12‑inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Transfer patties to skillet and cook until well browned on first side, 5 to 7 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. Serve burgers on buns, topped with pepper relish and lettuce.