MOTW: Gouda Turkey Cheeseburgers with Fennel Relish and Sweet Potato Fries

This was the big hit last week (Jul 11-17). I got the relish and fries recipe from Real Simple, but opted for turkey burgers instead of beef (much leaner). The fennel relish is extremely fast and easy to make, but sounds delightfully gourmet. When I relayed the meal to a friend last week she stopped me when I mentioned the relish and said "you made all this?"

Instead of sweet potatos, I accidently bought yams (the white fleshed ones - I always get the two confused). They were delish!

I pulled a quick turkey burger recipe off the web which worked great. The trick with turkey burgers is that, if they're from 100% breast meat, they'll dry out very fast. Thus, adding egg whites plumps them up and the minced onion adds some flavor. I skipped the garlic because it really does bother my husband, though I'm sure it would have tasted great. The only thing about the burger recipe --- it didn't state the obvious that you need to either put butter or cooking spray in the pan. That's not necessary with beef burgers because of their fat content, but with turkey burgers... well... let's just say they stuck to the pan really well!

This meal was a hit with the whole family.
Real Simple Recipe for Burgers (minus turkey part), Fries and Relish:

Serves 4 Hands-On Time: 30m Total Time: 30m

Ingredients

• 2 pounds medium sweet potatoes (about 4), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/2 small fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/4 pounds ground beef chuck
• 4 ounces Gouda, sliced
• 4 hamburger buns
• Arugula, for serving

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450° F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes, 2 tablespoons of the oil, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Roast, tossing once, until golden brown and tender, 22 to 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss the fennel, onion, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper; set aside.
3. Form the beef into four ½-inch-thick patties and season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties for 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. During the last minute of cooking, top the burgers with the cheese and cook, covered.
4. Place the burgers on the buns with the fennel relish and arugula, if desired. Serve with the fries.

Turkey Burger recipe at AllCooks by Trudi Davidoff:

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 4

"Turkey burgers are a delicious change of pace. Slap these moist patties on the grill for a special summer treat!"

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon seasoned bread crumbs 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon finely diced onion 2/3 egg whites, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley 1/3 clove garlic, peeled and minced 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

You have scaled this recipe's ingredients to yield a new amount (4). The directions below still refer to the original recipe yield (12).

1.	In a large bowl, mix ground turkey, seasoned bread crumbs, onion, egg whites, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. Form into 12 patties.
2.	Cook the patties in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning once, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C).

Meal of the Week - Introduction

Sometimes I find myself in a rut with food, especially because my husband and I are on opposite ends of the taste spectrum. He likes meat and simple, unadorned vegetables. He enjoys dairy-based sauces and abhors stir-fries. I love stir-fries and lots of vegetables. I love garlic, onions and peppers. These things make my husband ill.

Between the two of us, my husband is the far superior cook. However, I am the homemaker, so the onus is upon me to figure out what to serve the family on a regular basis. I won't even try to factor in our children's tastes, which vacillate to wildly to dictate a menu -- my daughter used to love vegetable lasagna, but the second I made a batch big enough to have extras frozen as last resort meals, she declared that she couldn't stand the stuff.

The whole endeavor is more greatly complicated by the fact that we both try to eat relatively healthful meals. We usually fail, but rather than serving everything in a cream of mushroom sauce slathered in butter and cheese (hello Paula Deen!), which would taste awesome but cause our hearts to explode, we strive for healthy at least.

I often find myself in a pinch and come up with blanks as to what to plan for a week of food. I'll forget how, six months' prior, I'd tried a great and simple recipe that everybody loved (or at least ate) that somehow fell off the list.

Thus, I thought it would be handy to write up bits about meals that go over well each week. This is my intro to myself to remember why I started this "label" category.