Spinach and Goat Cheese Turkey Burgers with Wedge Salad

Years ago when I first started cooking, I found this recipe for Spinach and Goat Cheese Turkey Burgers. I am a firm believer in not trying to make a turkey burger taste like a hamburger. It only ends in disappointment and who wants to be disappointed? I also find myself resisting using a bun when I use turkey. I've been told that unless you use leaner turkey it isn't much better than using ground beef so if you are thinking you are being healthy with that 80-85% turkey you might want to switch to the 90%. I find that the it has just enough fat to still have some sort of juice, because we all know the biggest complaint when it comes to turkey is that it is TOO DRY, whether it be luncheon meat from the deli or the Thanksgiving turkey. This recipe for turkey burgers eliminates the dry issue with cheese and spinach right in the mix. I modified the recipe and added a little panko which J thought was unnecessary and I think either way is still good.

I found this on allrecipes.com, which used to be my go to for online recipes until I found so many other sites that I prefer. There are a few quite good recipes on there but it takes a little sifting.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Turkey Burgers (adapted from allrecipes.com)
1 package 90% ground turkey
1/2-3/4 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained
4 oz. crumbled goat cheese (if you can find a flavored one you like use it but I just had plain this time)
~1/2-1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 onion, sliced and caramelized to your liking (feel free to add a pinch of sugar or splash of balsamic)

1. Preheat broiler.
   
2. Combine turkey, spinach, and goat cheese in a bowl, add any additional seasonings to taste.
3. Form 6 burger patties.
4. Pour panko bread crumbs into a shallow dish and press burgers gently in panko to coat.
5. Refrigerate the burgers for at least 15 min to help with firmness.
6. Spray a skillet with cooking spray and brown each side of the burgers.
7. Transfer burgers to broiler pan and broil 15 min or until burgers are done.
8. Serve topped with caramelized onions or a spicy mayonnaise/sauce of your choice.

You can omit steps 4 and 6 if you prefer it without panko.

The wedge is trendy. From little amount of research I can find on the subject, the wedge salad was most popular in the 40s-60s in the United States, while iceberg lettuce has dominated since the 1920s. I normally can't stand iceberg lettuce. As a child that was salad: iceberg lettuce, Pepperridge Farm seasoned croutons, little pieces of Cracker Barrel orange cheddar chunk cheese, and bottled dressing (probably a type of Wish Bone Russian or something). Although until I was 6 or so I ate my salad without the lettuce. (I can't believe I was allowed to eat eat cheese, croutons, and lettuce in a bowl). Now I semi-avoid the "crisp head" lettuce as it was originally called, but the wedge is one of the exceptions. I had some leftover bacon and decided the wedge salad is just what I needed.

Wedge Salad (for two)

1/2 a head iceberg lettuce
2 plum tomatoes
3 slices of cooked bacon
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup white dressing (I used the dressing from the Caesar Pasta Salad recipe)

1. Cut lettuce into 2 wedges.
2. De seed and dice tomatoes.
3. Crumble bacon and add bacon and tomatoes to the lettuce.
4. Pour dressing over wedge and season with pepper.

It really is a very low maintenance type of salad and presents beautifully. Nuts and blue cheese are always a welcome addition but I would use a different dressing in that case. As always experiment and find something tasty. J, of course, ate his salad sans dressing and tomato (yes, a chunk of lettuce sprinkled with bacon, I know...) but I really feel if you are going to eat your lettuce in a big chunk it should be properly dressed.