almost guilt-free.goat cheese-stuffed turkey burgers w. roasted red pepper relish

Since I’m late to post, happy belated St. Patrick’s Day! From the posts I’ve seen, it looks like you all ate and drank pretty well on the holiday. I ate terribly over the weekend, so I’ve tried to get back on track this week.

Though I can’t say burgers are the healthiest option, this recipe uses ground turkey, which is leaner, and I used thin style hamburger buns. That helps a little…right?

Regardless, these burgers were juicy and full of flavor–from the slight tartness of the lemon and zest to the tangy goat cheese inside the patty to the slightly spicy roasted red pepper relish.

Turkey burger recipe:

1.25 lb. lean ground turkey

6 tbsp. bread crumbs

3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon

2 tsp. dried thyme

1 1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

6 tbsp. Chevre goat cheese

6 thin-style whole wheat hamburger buns

Directions:

Combine turkey, breadcrumbs, lemon juice, lemon zest, thyme, salt and pepper in large bowl. Mix well. Divide turkey mixture into 6 equal portions. Form 1 portion into two 4-inch diameter patties. Place 1 tbsp. goat cheese atop 1 turkey patty; place second patty atop cheese. Seal patties at edges to enclose cheese. Repeat with remaining 5 portions.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat) or indoor grill. Grill burgers until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Grill hamburger buns, cut side down, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Place turkey burgers on bottom half of buns. Top burgers with Roasted Red Pepper Relish, then bun tops and serve.

Relish recipe:

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 red bell peppers, roasted, seeded and chopped

1 1/2 cups sweet onion, finely diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 1/2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

3 tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. dry mustard

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a cookie sheet with foil and place red peppers on top. Roast peppers about 15-20 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes or so, until blistering and skin is noticeably peeling off.

Remove from oven and place peppers in glass bowl. Cover bowl with Saran wrap and let pepper sweat about 10 minutes (to make peeling the skin easier). Once peppers have cooled, remove skin and seeds, then chop into small pieces.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add red peppers and sauté 2 minutes. Add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are tender, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.

Mix vinegar and sugar in small bowl until sugar dissolves. Stir vinegar mixture into red peppers. Mix in mustard and cayenne pepper. Season with salt. Continue cooking relish until all liquid has evaporated, stirring frequently, about 6 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Recipe adapted from

Epicurious.com