Maple Turkey Burgers with Bacon, Blue Cheese and Onions
Ingredients
- 8 slices smoky bacon
- 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey, dark and white meat combined, 80-85% lean
- 2 tablespoons real maple syrup or 1 tablespoon maple sugar
- About 3 tablespoons onion, grated over the mixing bowl you place meat in
- 2 tablespoons grainy or brown mustard
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 1 apple, Honeycrisp or Gala, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- A few grates nutmeg
- 1 package sliced blue cheese, such as Castello brand sliced Danish blue cheese
- Pretzel rolls, split and prepared according to package directions
Preparation
Bake bacon on a slotted broiling pan in a 375°F oven to crisp.
Place meat in bowl and combine with maple syrup or sugar, onion, mustard, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties.
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add butter and onions, and cook to light caramel in color, about 15 minutes. Add apples and season with salt, pepper and thyme. Cook 3-4 minutes more until apples are tender-crisp.
Meanwhile, preheat a large, cast-iron skillet for the burgers. Cook burgers in 1 tablespoon of oil, a turn of the pan, for about 12 minutes turning once. Top patties with blue cheese and cover with foil or a burger lid to melt the cheese. Top burgers with 2 slices of bacon, some apples and onions, set bun tops in place and serve.