Burgers | Soupbelly

At around 11:30pm last night, there were some loud ‘SQUAAAWWWWKKKs’ followed by a few ‘BUGGGGOOOOQQQUUIIITTTTs’ outside our bedroom window.

Chris turns to me, slowly, asking, “Was that just me, or did that sound like two TURKEYS fighting outside our window?!”

I immediately ran outside in my pajamas, bunny slippers on feet, curlers in hair, cigarette in mouth, holding an enormously large butcher knife in hand, looking for those turkeys.

And now I’m giving you a recipe on juicy, delicious turkey burgers.

Just kidding! I don’t smoke, wear slippers, or wear curlers in my hair. But we did hear wild turkeys outside last night.

And NO, I did NOT butcher those wild turkeys outside our window. I would’ve went out there in my pajamas, a butcher knife in hand, to catch my early Thanksgiving dinner, had it not looked trashy to do so. Trashy or….downright dangerous. But the turkey I’m using came from the grocery store. A safe alternative to butchering a turkey outside your bedroom window while your neighbors called the cops on a crazy lady with a butcher knife.

Juicy and Flavorful Turkey Burgers

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Burger:

1 lb. ground turkey (whichever way you may choose to buy/hunt it)
1/4 cup minced green peppers
1/4 cup minced onions
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
sprinkle of pepper
4 burger buns
lettuce
tomato
4 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Mayonnaise:

3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. minced chives
1 1/2 tsp. spicy mustard
1/4 wedge lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 7 ingredients on the list. Form into 4 patties, place on baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping over once after 15 minutes. Add cheese onto patties a couple minutes before taking out of the oven. OR, if you would prefer to grill the burgers, please do so.

2) Combine mayonnaise ingredients together. Spread on rolls. Add turkey patty, lettuce, tomato and serve.

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Are you guys all wondering why the heck we have wild turkeys outside our bedroom window?

Did I not explain that one to you?

In Rochester, NY, we actually have lots of wild turkeys roaming the fields. I’m. Not. Kidding. You. We see wild turkey gangs everywhere, clustered along the shoulder of the highway, in someone’s backyard, outside of a certain blogger’s bedroom window. They’re just minding their own business, like the rest of us.

By the way, minced peppers and onions keep the meat incredibly moist in this recipe. Try it with ground beef, ground chicken, ground burgers of any kind. The chili powder gives the meat that extra little kick, too.

I wanted to flavor the mayo with stuff that would complement the turkey. A great combination is mayo and spicy mustard.

Since the peppers and onions will add a lot of excess moisture to the turkey, I added some breadcrumbs to soak it up.

BUGGGGOOOOQQQUUOOOIIITTTT!

And there you have juicy, tender, flavorful turkey burgers.

As my husband and I work, we talk online throughout the day. We’re not texters. And I’m not a phone person. Phones should exist in order to call 911 or to tell your significant other to pick up milk at the store on the way home. Chris is actually more of a phone person than I am. When he calls me, he rambles on about something he could easily tell me at home while in the back of my head I’m wondering, is there a point to this phone call? And then I ask him “Is there a point to this phone call?” And he replies “Actually, no there isn’t.” And we hang up. Anyway, one basic question he repeats over and over and over and OVER is, “What’s for dinner tonight?”

Sometimes, he changes the wording of the question as follows:

“Did you have any ideas for dinner?”

“What did you have in mind for dinner?”

“Dinner? Ideas? Any?”

“I’m craving some steak…”

“CHRIS WANT STEAK! MUST HAVE STEAK NOW! ROOOAAARRRR!!!”

I might’ve exaggerated that last one a bit. Though, it’s odd he thinks about dinner before lunchtime.

I just updated the name because I was told I needed a cool title. The ‘Jack’ part from the Monterey JACK cheese, and the @$$ part because of the Horseradish, but instead of horse, I said @$$ instead.

Sirloin Steak Sandwiches

printable recipe

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. Sirloin Steak, 1” thick
salt and pepper
1 tbsp. butter
1 small onion, sliced
1/4 green pepper, sliced
3 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp. horseradish
4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
4 hamburger buns

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Generously coat both sides of steak with salt and pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp. butter on medium high heat on skillet. Sear both sides of steak, about 4 minutes per side. Place steak on baking pan and bake for 20 minutes, flipping over once after 10 minutes. Take out of oven, let rest for about 5 minutes before cutting against the grain in thin slices.

2) Once the steak is in the oven, use the same skillet for sautéing peppers and onions. Sauté until onions are translucent and caramelized. Turn heat off and set peppers and onions aside.

3) Combine mayo and horseradish together, add salt and pepper to taste. Spread on one side of each hamburger bun. Add sliced steak, cheese, and top with peppers and onions. Serve.

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Sweet Potato Fries

printable recipe

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, cut in thick wedges
oil, salt, pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Generously coat potato wedges with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping halfway (at the same time you would put the steak in the oven). Serve.

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Is it just me, or aren’t sweet potatoes supposed to be red-looking? Am I thinking about yams?

Well, if yours are red, horray! Or if they look like mine, that’s ok too, since they came out fine.

Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Generously coat potato wedges with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping halfway (at the same time you would put the steak in the oven). Serve.

Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Generously coat both sides of steak with salt and pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp. butter on medium high heat on skillet. Sear both sides of steak, about 4 minutes per side.

Place steak on baking pan and bake for 20 minutes, flipping over once after 10 minutes.

Slice onions.

And peppers.

Once the steak is in the oven, use the same skillet for sautéing peppers and onions. Sauté until onions are translucent and caramelized. Turn heat off and set peppers and onions aside.

Combine mayo and horseradish together, add salt and pepper to taste.

Shred about 4 oz. of Monterey Jack cheese.

Take steak out of oven, let rest for about 5 minutes before cutting against the grain in thin slices. Steak should be medium doneness. It’s rare enough for him, and cooked enough for me.