Turkey Burger Cookies

How do you improve a simple meat patty? Turkey cookies are a caramelized, gooey burger that is more like a cookie than a main course. To retain caramelized goodness, these are better done in a pan than on the grill. Due the natural sugars in the sweet potatoes, these patties tend to brown/burn faster than meat counterparts. Keep a close eye on them until you get the timing down.

Serves 2

1 lb ground turkey

½ onion, finely chopped

1 cup yam or Japanese Satsumaimo mash

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

¼-½ tsp ground cumin, depending on taste

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tsp unsalted butter

Tomatoes and red onion, sliced

Butter lettuce

  1. To make mash: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place medium yam or Satsumaimo on baking sheet and bake for 1 hour or until easily pierced with a fork. Cool, scoop out flesh from skin. Discard skin. Purée flesh in food processor. (Mash can be made days ahead and frozen or refrigerated until ready to use.)
  2. In a large mixing bowl, add turkey, onions, mash, spices, salt, and pepper. Mix gently. Form mixture into patties.
  3. In a large frying pan, heat butter to medium-low. Place patties in pan and cook for 5 minutes. Flip and cover pan. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.
  4. Continue cooking until done. Place tomato and onion on top of patty. Wrap in large pieces of lettuce and serve with your favorite aoli or condiments.