Turkey Burgers with Chipotle, Sour Cream & Lime Mayo

Our guest writer Jessie (aka mscooksalot) has loved cooking and exploring recipes for as long as she can remember. Passionate about real food, she wants to know what’s in it and where it comes from. She believes that food is one of the greatest pleasures in life and can transform your experiences from the forgettable to the sublime. 

And this is the perfect recipe for a spring soiree. 

I love a good burger, made using the best quality meat, lots of seasonings, sharp white cheddar and most importantly, a really good quality bun. With summer having officially started last weekend - although you’d be forgiven for thinking we’d time travelled back to November - it’s high time to start cooking some yummy barbecue style recipes! I made these indoors on the frying pan, but if and when the weather heats up, you can of course make them on a barbecue. Just make sure to cook them thoroughly until the juices run clear.

If you fancy making your own homemade brioche burger buns to go with these babies, then head over to my blog to find out how! They’re super simple and well worth the effort. Otherwise I highly recommend getting the best quality burger buns you can find. Look in your local bakery or at the very least, look for good quality brioche buns in the supermarket.

The same goes for the rest of the ingredients. You can find free range turkey in some great butchers like Fallon & Byrne. I love a smoked mature white cheddar to serve with this. Remember, turkey mince is virtually fat free so it needs something to moisten it - hence the  sour cream and the onions. And my easy, delicious special sauce really elevates this burger to another level! Mr. Cooksalot declared it the best turkey burger yet when I came up with it! It adds so much flavour and creamy texture to the burger, and will keep in the fridge for a few days should you have any left over.

Makes 4

• For the sauce

2-3 heaped tablespoons sour cream

2-3 heaped tablespoons mayo

Hot sauce of your choice - I like Chipotle Tabasco which is easy to find now in supermarkets, or any other smoky hot sauce

1 lime - you may need half or all of this, depending on how juicy it is

1 small onion

Sea salt

• For the burgers

600g good quality turkey mince

Half a bunch of scallions, about 2 or 3

Tbsp yellow mustard, French’s American mustard

Tsp dried thyme

Large pinch of sea salt

Good grinding of black pepper

1/3 cup or 80 ml sour cream

100g smoked mature white cheddar, grated (I used Gubbeen Smokehouse Cheese)

Light olive oil for frying

• To serve

4 large brioche burger buns

Ketchup

Mustard

Crunchy lettuce like baby gem

• Method

Start by making your special sauce so that it has time to marinate and the flavours to blend.

Finely chop or grate your onion into a small bowl. Add your lime juice and salt and leave to stand for about 10 minutes. This will help the onion to mellow. Then add your sour cream, mayo, hot sauce and stir well. Taste and check the seasoning - it's totally up to you how spicy or mild you want this.

In a large bowl, mix all of the burger ingredients carefully with your hands. I like to make a claw shape with my hand and turn the mix over, trying to mix throughly without over working the mince, which will make it tough.

Divide the turkey mix into four equal sections with the side of your hand, as if you’re making soda bread. Don't worry, it will be a very wet mix. Shape each quarter into a round patty and lay on a plate. Be careful not to touch anything after handling the raw meat, and wash your hands well.

Heat a large, heavy bottomed frying pan over medium - high heat. Heat a tablespoon of light olive oil in the pan. Add the burgers to the pan. Be careful not to move the burgers around until they have formed a deep brown colour on the bottom, them flip them carefully and squash them a bit with the back of your spatula.

Keep an eye on the heat, you want them to cook evenly throughout, so if they are browning too fast on the outside, chances are they'll still be raw in the middle! They should take about 12-14 minutes to cook through. I always check the centre with the tip of a short knife to make sure the juices run clear.

At about 10 minutes, add the grated cheese to the top of each burger. If you have a fitted lid for the pan, cover them now, as the steam will help to melt the cheese.

Get your buns and toppings ready. Warm the buns up gently in a low oven (unless they're freshly baked like mine!). Wash and dry your lettuce. Get your ketchup, mustard, special sauce and whatever else you like to top your burgers with ready.

Spread the sauce on the bottom bun, and your mustard and ketchup on the top. Place the burger on the bottom bun and dress with lettuce. Carefully fit the top bun on.

Serve the turkey burgers immediately, with some yummy homemade chunky oven chips on the side. I love to serve any leftover sauce in a small bowl for dipping your chips.

Most importantly, enjoy!

Are you tempted to try out this recipe? Do you have any easy-peasy recipes that never fail to impress? We’d love to hear all about them! In the meantime, check out Jessie’s blog, Ms Cooksalot, for more fab recipes!