Monday, June 18, 2012

Garlic Turkey Sliders

Friends. Sliders. Dinner.

I'm on a slider kick as I try to incorporate--little by little--protein via meat back into my diet. My stomach is just weird about meat, so I'm taking it slowly. In small doses...like in sliders. And it's working. But why keep the slider recipes to myself? It's time to share.

Sliders are these little nuggets that are on so many menus at our neighborhood bars and grills lately. They are delicious, sometimes gourmet, burgers without the commitment of a honkin' Texas-sized monstrosity. Isn't that good? Isn't that great? And these little burgers are great as appetizers, for kids, or for cookouts (on the grill or inside on the grill pan!). Note: I made these one night (using 1.5 pounds of turkey), and Matt and I reheated these for lunch or dinner for 4 more days! AKA They make great leftovers. YESSS. On to the food...

Garlic Turkey Sliders
Enough garlic to taste it, but not enough to lose friends over. These sliders are made with lean turkey (but you can sub ground beef, lamb, buffalo, chicken, soy crumbles even). Just be sure to adjust your binder--less or more eggs or breadcrumbs. Serve on the 'bun' of your choice (see below for ideas) and watch them disappear.

Makes 12 sliders = 4-6 servings

4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/3 cup chopped white onion
1 pound of ground turkey (90/10)
1 large egg
2 green onions, chopped (1/4 cup-ish)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs

Chop the garlic and onions. Heat a grill pan on medium-high heat. Once hot, spray with nonstick cooking spray and add the garlic and white onions. Let cook for 3 minutes, stirring halfway through.

After cooked, add to a medium bowl, along with the turkey, egg, green onions, rosemary, salt and pepper, red pepper (optional), and breadcrumbs. Use a spoon or get tough and use your hand to stir around with your hand until all ingredients are combined.

Form the patties in your hand (about the size of an egg, 1--2 ounces of meat) and pack into a patty shape. Place them on the hot grillpan and let cook 5 minutes on each side. (I cut into the first one that is "ready" to make sure it is cooked through...no pink!)

Serve hot on a 'bun' and top with your favorite condiments. Yum!

Sliders 'Buns'
This can be a tricky question because slider patties are much too small for regular hamburger buns...here are some easy ideas:

  • Baguette sliced and toasted (see pic above)
  • Whole wheat bread sliced into quarters (2 slider buns/slice)
  • Store-bought slider buns (in the deli or bread aisle)
  • Hawaiian rolls
  • Small dinner rolls

And for a little fun...check out the hail we were surprised with in Dallas last week!
Ours was only grape-sized, but some got baseball-sized hail. Crazy summer weather...













We went to the Rangers-Astros game yesterday. It was SO STRANGE to hear people cheering when an Astros player struck out. We were totally outnumbered. I do love the 'Stros...maybe next time on winning, too. It was fun either way.


Happy eating!
Laurel

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