Burgers & Fries

Had some friends over the other day and wanted to do a little Springtime BBQ cookout type meal, and took it as an opportunity to try some things I've been thinking about. Yes, my good friends would become guinea-pigs to my culinary experimentation.

The menu I devised was as follows:

Sage turkey burgers
Sweet potato oven fries
Grilled young leeks (from the garden)

Of course, my friends were tasked with bringing wine.

The sage turkey burgers were not new to me, I learned them from Jacki's step-brother, Chris. I am not sure how he does them, but he turned me on to the flavor combo and it basically completely resurrected the idea of turkey burgers for me. I do it the following way:

Start with about a half-fistful of fresh sage (They sell little packages at my supermarket, and I just use the whole thing, not sure how much it is. Will make a note to record it.), removing the leaves from the stems. You can reserve the stems to toss on the coals when you grill or toss them out. I am not sure they're good for much. I throw the leaves into the food processor with a few cloves of garlic and enough olive oil to make the mixture a heavy paste when processed. The sage bits should be big enough on average to be visible as flecks of green in the patties, so it's a coarse paste. This paste I add to three pounds ground turkey and mix well, adding salt to taste. Don't over-salt, because it is nice to salt the patty surfaces before they go on the grill.

After letting the turkey mixture sit a spell (in the fridge!) to integrate, I commence patty formation. If I'm not mistaken, three pounds is 48oz, and that is perfect for making eight 6oz patties. I use a digital scale because I'm anal like that, don't you know. I also find it useful to cut squares of parchment (or wax paper) to put between the patties so they can be stacked. This makes them good for freezing and reduces the exposed surface area while they sit around waiting to go on the grill. They're closer to a third pound than a half pound, but still a hearty piece of meat. I usually try to prepare the patties first, then put them in the fridge or freezer until grilling time. This frustrates any bacterial baddies, plus it causes the patties to be more firm and easier to work with. Ground turkey is much stickier and less viscous than ground beef.

When I was at the store getting fixins for this meal, I went over to the potato area and there was not a sweet potato in sight. Foiled! So, I had to make a quick change of plan and substitute another starch. I was feeling sort of wedded to the idea of "burgers and fries," so I wanted to do something else as oven fries. My friend Michael turned me on to the beauty and power of fried parsnips, so I figured I might give them a go as oven fries.

I wasn't sure how many parsnips to purchase. I figured I'd want to use only the outside flesh, because the inner core is much more fibrous, and not much fun to eat (though to me it seems to be the sweetest). I think I ended up getting six medium parsnip roots (for four people), and as it turns out I could have easily doubled that amount. I cut the outside layers off the parsnip (sort of like pitting a mango), and then cut them into rough french-fry shapes. These I put in a big metal bowl, drizzled with peanut oil, and threw in a clove or two of finely minced garlic. Tossing that all together, I layed it all out on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, salted them, and put it in a 425º oven. It took a long time for them to cook up - probably over 40 minutes - but it is important to let them go all the way. The smallest pieces on the sheet should be blackened. After removing from the oven, I tossed them with some chopped parsley for color, and put them on a nice colored serving plate. These things are great on their own - or you can make a spicy mayo dipping sauce for them. Sweet and salt and spicy. Yum.

Jacki and I have been growing leeks in the backyard, and they're not like the leeks you see in the store. Commercial leeks are like freakishly huge compared to ours. Our young garden leeks vary in size from that of a typical scallion to maybe 3/4 of an inch in diameter. Jacki pulled up about eight half-inch leeks, I trimmed the roots, sprayed the dirt out of the leaves, and cut the tops off to a length to easily fit on the grill. Then, I cooked them like cebollitas, cooking until they are blackened outside and soft inside. Once done, I spritzed them with lemon juice and dashed with salt.

I cooked the turkey patties to 165º - which gives them a nicely browned exterior - and served on toasted whole wheat hamburger buns. The earthy flavor of the whole wheat buns is a huge player in the greatness of these burgers. For condiments I recommend simplicity: thickly sliced red onion, butter lettuce leaves, and mayo. Maybe a touch of ketchup. Friends brought a delicious pinot noir. Drank Sierra Nevada Summer Lager while grilling.

I think the meal turned out well. Wish I had pictures. Oh well.