Thanksgiving Burger. Maybe it’s not that you’re lazy. Maybe you’re only cooking for one or two. Maybe you can’t afford a whole turkey. Maybe you’re not into the gluttony of a huge Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe you’re not American, and you have no idea what I’m talking about.
Whatever the reason is that you’re not having your typical American Thanksgiving dinner, here’s a way you can have a little taste of it without too much work. I love this Thanksgiving Burger with baked sweet potato fries. It’s a reasonable size, it’s clean (especially if you buy a farmer’s market turkey), and you’ve got all the delicious flavors of Thanksgiving without the food coma.
But the very, very best part? I feel like I’m eating Ikea Swedish meatballs for some reason. I love Ikea. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Too Lazy To Cook? Make Healthy Thanksgiving Burger
Print RecipeIngredients
- TO MAKE THE THANKSGIVING BURGER:
- 1/2 small onion, finely diced
- 1 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup chicken or beef stock
- 4 dinner rolls or your bun of choice
- 1 handful baby salad greens
- 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- TO MAKE THE HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE:
- Makes about 1 3/4 cups
- 3 cups cranberries
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of orange juice
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract
- TO MAKE THE BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES:
- A few sweet potatoes, peeled
- Canola oil
- Salt and pepper
- Additional seasoning of choice, e.g. I like paprika
Instructions
TO MAKE THE THANKSGIVING BURGER:
1. In a large bowl, add the diced onion, salt, and pepper to the ground turkey. Mix thoroughly with your hands, then form four equally sized patties. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the patties in the skillet and cook for about 7 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of your patties, until cooked through. Keep the heat on, but remove patties from the skillet and cover (or place in the oven) to keep warm.
2. You can start toasting your rolls or buns before this next step.
3. To make the gravy, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water to make a thin paste. Pour the paste into the same skillet and start whisking to mix with skillet drippings. As it thickens, pour the milk and stock while continuing to whisk. After a few minutes, it should reach your desired consistency.
4. Now, you can assemble your burgers. Cut your freshly toasted rolls or buns. Spread a teaspoon of Dijon mustard on the bottom half. Place a few baby salad greens on top of the mustard, followed by the turkey patty, a tablespoon of gravy, and a tablespoon of homemade cranberry sauce. Top with the other half of your roll and serve with baked sweet potato “fries”.
TO MAKE THE HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE:
1. Add cranberries, both sugars, orange juice, lemon juice, and cinnamon to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When the mixture starts to bubble, reduce to low heat.
2. Let mixture simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When cranberries are very tender, remove them from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
TO MAKE THE BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES:
1. Heat the oven to 450°F.
2. Cut your sweet potatoes into “fry”-shaped 1/4 inch-thick strips. Try to keep them all around the same thickness, so they bake evenly.
3. In a large bowl, add canola oil a little splash at a time while tossing the strips until you just coat them with enough oil.
4. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and your seasoning of choice, and toss until strips are evenly coated.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread strips in a single layer, leaving room between them. You may need more than one baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and use a spatula to flip all the strips. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes, or until “fries” are crispy.
