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
- 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.)
- In a large mixing bowl, add turkey, onions, mash, spices, salt, and pepper. Mix gently. Form mixture into patties.
- 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.
- 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.
