Gourmet burgers are pretty much topping the list of most restaurant menus these days. In a lot of cases, whole restaurants are dedicated to JUST burgers. I fully support this notion. If Kyle and I are going out for dinner, you can bet we’re going somewhere with a great burger selection. Full-out carnivores over here. While we always want gourmet burgers, we don’t necessarily always want the fat, salt, and calories that comes with restaurant food. So, we’ve taken to experimenting at home with our own versions!
When you cook at home you have control over the ingredients and you know how much salt and oil has been used. Another bonus of homemade burgers is that you can use any kind of protein you want – beef, chicken, turkey, bison, etc. Some restaurants offer meat selection, but it’s rare.
If we’re making these at home it’s because we want a healthier option, so we usually go for turkey or chicken. Bison is amazing, but not easily found in our city so it’s a rare treat. By getting a little creative with your toppings, you can put any restaurant to shame! Disclaimer: I’m aware it’s probably offensive to some people that we don’t BBQ our burgers, but it’s the middle of winter… and we don’t have a BBQ! Trust me, they still taste amazing!
Burger: Turkey stuffed with jalapeno cheese
- Ground turkey
- Egg whites
- Diced red onion and bell peppers
- Franks Red Hot (optional)
- Oregano, onion powder (optional – choose seasonings you like)
- Garlic, ginger, and chili paste (optional – this is pretty spicy)
- Allegro jalapeno cheese
Another bonus of making burgers at home – there are extra burgers for the next day!
- Combine all ingredients (except cheese) in a bowl and mix well. We never measure stuff. Use the egg whites to reach a consistency in which the meat will stick together in patties.
- Form a thin patty (about half the size of a full patty). Place slices of cheese on top, then cover with another thin patty.
- Place burgers in a hot, oiled pan and sear both sides – this will prevent them from drying out.
- Place burgers on a cooking tray in the oven on broil to finish cooking.
- Top with your sauces / gourmet toppings – see below for our favorite.
- We folded ours in a wrap rather than using a bun, because we had wraps in the fridge.
Topping: Caramelized onions and apples
- Thinly sliced granny smith apple
- Thinly sliced red onion
- TBSP Stevia brown sugar
The combo of apples and red onion is so good, but get creative and make it your own. Onions and cheese with balsamic vinegar is also really good!
- Slice the apple and red onion.
- Add both to a hot, oiled pan.
- Once hot, add the brown sugar.
- Keep stirring to ensure everything gets coated and is heated through.
This is our favorite topping, but experiment with different ideas yourself. I also spread some peanut butter on the wrap before putting the burger on. If you haven’t tried PB on a burger yet, do it!
Burgers don’t seem complete without frozen yogurt, so we went to Menchie’s as well. Actually, we had this before dinner because it never fails that once we eat dinner, our desire to leave the house is pretty low. We outsmarted our laziness!
His and hers dessert from Menchie’s, our absolute favorite. We cheated and had dessert before dinner 😉
