Turkey Burger with Spinach

Anytime you make "burgers" using ground meat or seafood, I find that it is best to use panade. If you have never heard of this word before, don't fret, let me fill you in.

Panade: puh-NAHD (Fr. ) is paste made with bread and milk used to help hold shape and moisture for any type of ground meat or even seafood, like salmon burgers. Though it may sound very strange but there is a scientific reason how it works. Cooks Illustrated explains it well:

Starches from the bread absorb liquid from the milk to form a gel that coats and lubricates the protein molecules in the meat, much in the same way as fat, keeping them moist and preventing them from linking together to form a tough matrix.

Bottom line, use panade and you will have moist, tender burgers, every time!



This is slightly different recipe than one posted before.
You can omit the bacon in caramelized onion mixture and saute the onions with olive oil.

Panade Mixture:
2 slices of white bread
1/2 cup whole milk

Cook bacon for 8-10 minutes, then add onions until well caramelized (light brown color)
4-6 slices of bacon, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely grated
2 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 pound lean ground turkey (chicken, salmon, just about ground meat)
Freshly Ground Pepper to taste


Soft Hoagie buns
Red Onion
Tomato
Spinach Leaves
Remoulade Sauce (see previous post for recipe)

In a large bowl, add milk and torn bread slices, mix well. Let soak 5 to 10 minutes. Add, bacon and onion mixture, and remaining six ingredients. Add ground turkey and mix.

Form into 4 patties. Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Cook burgers to until center registers 165 degrees F with your meat thermometer. 8-10 minutes depending on the thickness of burgers.

Serve with spinach leaves and garnishing of your choice.

NOTE: Soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce give the meat nice dark coating when cooked. You can sear the meat on a frying pan and finish the burgers in oven at 375 degrees F. about 8 minutes if you are cooking in large volume.