In their younger and (even) more vulnerable days, a burger is simply a burger to a toddler—pretty much anything between two buns can count and satisfy. But as they grow and their tastes harden, a burger is specifically a burger—sometimes only the taste and texture of beef will do. You may not easily convince them otherwise.
But, you know, you also may not want to eat ground red meat as often as your child does; we sure didn’t. So we innovated this toddler turkey burger, and not just for a change of pace; we wanted no change in taste–that is, we wanted a non-burger burger our son would devour, even crave. It’s a touch sweet and very savory; it has a lot more flavor and juiciness than you might expect from boring ol’ turkey. We can’t promise it will fool your seemingly cosmopolitan child about its provenance; it can’t, and wasn’t designed to. What we can promise is something better: a dinner winner that, if not the same or even as good as a beef burger, is also something new and exciting, another option that can easily convince the whole family that turkey burgers are exciting.
How To Make Turkey Burgers Even a Toddler Will Love
Description
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus--well, at least, if you mean there is a way to make turkey burgers taste great, even to and for a child. Our secret? We infuse the meat with barbecue sauce and mayo to create a tangy and rich meat treat, one your toddler will know is not beef--and won't care.
Ingredients
Instructions
Prep
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If using, cut the sundried tomatoes into small chunks.
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In a large bowl, add the ground turkey, sundried tomato chunks, barbecue aioli (or barbecue sauce and mayo), and breadcrumbs; feel free to add any additional seasonings you choose (i.e., chives), too. Mix ingredients together until combined; if the meat mixture feels really wet and loose, add in a small bit of breadcrumbs at a time until it is firm enough to roll up.
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If possible, let the mixture marinate for at least an hour.
Cook and Assemble
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Heat a large stove to Medium, coating the bottom of the pan in a small pool of oil.
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While the pan heats up, cut the meat mixture in half vertically and then in half horizontally to create four pieces. (cut one or two of those quarters in half again for children with smaller appetites…but leave your portion at a quarter pound, trust me.)
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Roll portions into a ball, then smush down to create a patty shape; season each with a bit of salt and pepper.
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Place patties into the pan and immediately smash down with the back of your spatula. Cook until the pan-side down portion of the patty is browned and firm, roughly 3 minutes; flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
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While the patty rests, toast the bottom of your buns until lightly brown; as soon as it pops out of the toaster, smear that piece with a bit of mayo.
Serve
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We like these on a bun with a bit of mayo (see step #8); our child likes adding his usual mustard and ketchup to the mix but usually downs about 3/4th of an adult size burger. You can also serve mashed up in/on rice or pasta; if you’re feeling virtuous, they taste just fine nestled in a large leaf of romaine, bibb, or boston lettuces.
Adapt
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For more heft and/or nutrition, add chopped up spinach and cheese to the grind before cooking. Want to use chicken instead? Go for it–just stick to about two minutes per side to ensure the patty is not overcooked.
